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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

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http://www.archive.org/details/bibreinspainorjoOOborriala 


THE 


BIBLE  IN  SPAIN; 


OK,    THE 


JOURNEYS,  ADVENTURES,  AND  IMPRISONMENTS  OF  AN 

ENGLISHMAN, 


• 

IN 


AN  ATTEMPT  TO  CIRCULATE  THE  SCRIPTURES 


THE  PENINSULA. 


BY    GEORGE    BORROW, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  GIPSIES  OF  SPAIN." 


TWELFTH    EDITION. 


JAMES  M,  CAMPBELL,  98  CHESTNUT  STREET, 

SAXTON  &  MILES,  205  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 

STEREOTYPED   BY   L.   J0H:«S0N   Sc   CO. 

1845. 


stack 
Annex 

Ml 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Paje 

Man  Overboard — The  Tagiis — Foreign  Languages — Gesticulation — Streets  of  Lisbon — 
The  Aqueduct — Bible  tolerated  in  Portugal — Cintra — Don  Sebastian — John  de  Cas- 
tro— Conversation  with  a  Priest — Colhares — Mafra — Its  Palace — The  Schoolmaster — 
The  Portuguese — Their  Ignorance  of  Scripture — Rural  Priesthood — The  Alemtejo. . .     13 

CHAPTER  IL 

Boatmen  of  the  Tagus — Dangers  of  the  Stream — Aldea  Gallega — The  Hostelry — Rob- 
bers— Sabocha — Adventure  of  a  Muleteer — Estalagem  de  Ladroes — Don  Geronimo — 
Vendas  Novas — Royal  Residence — Swine  of  the  Alemtejo — Monte  Moro — Swayne 
Vonved — Singular  Goatherd — Children  of  the  Fields — Infidels  and  Sadducees 17 

CHAPTER  HL 

Shopkeeper  at  Evora — Spanish  Contrabandistas — Lion  and  Unicorn — The  Fountain — 
Trust  in  the  Almighty — Distribution  of  Tracts — Library  at  Evora — Manuscript — The 
Bible  as  a  Guide — The  Infamous  Mary — The  Man  of  Palmella — The  Charm — The 
Monkish  System — Sunday — Volney — An  Auto-da-fe — Men  from  Spain — Reading  of  a 
Tract — New  Arrival — The  Herb  Rosemary 21 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Vexatious  Delays — Drunken  Driver — The  Murdered  Mule — The  Lamentation — Adven- 
ture on  the  Heath — Fear  of  Darkness — Portuguese  Fidalgo — The  Escort — Return  to 
Lisbon 25 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  College — The  Rector — Shibboleth — National  Prejudices — Youthful  Sports — ^Jews 
of  Lisbon — ^Bad  Faith — Crime  and  Superstition — Strange  Proposal 29 

CHAPTER  VL 

Cold  of  Portugal — Extortion  prevented — Sensation  of  Loneliness — The  Dog — ^The  Con- 
vent— Enchanting  Landscape — Moorish  Fortresses — Prayer  for  the  Sick 32 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

The  Draids'  Stone — The  Young  Spaniard — Ruffianly  Soldiers — Evils  of  War — ^Estre- 
moz — The  Brawl — Ruined  Watch-Tower — Glimpse  of  Spain — Old  Times  and  New      35 

CHAPTER  Vm. 

Elvas — Extraordinary  Longevity — ^The  English  Nation — Portuguese  Ingratitude — lUi- 
berality — Fortifications — Spanish  Beggar — Badajoz — The  Custom  House 38 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Badajoz — Antonio  the  Gipsy — Antonio's  Proposal — The  Proposal  accepted — Gipsy 
Breakfast — Departure  from  Badajoz — The  Gipsy  Donkey — Merida — The  Ruined 
Wall—The  Crone— The  Land  of  the  Moor—The  Black  Men— Life  in  the  Desert— 
The  Supper , 41 

1057655  ' 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

rage 

The  Gipsy's  Grandrdaughter — Proposed  Marriage— The  Alguazil— The  Assault — Speedy- 
Trot — Arrival  at  Trujillo — Night  and  Rain — The  Forest — The  Bivouac — Mount  and 
away ! — Jaraicejo— The  National — The  Cavalier  Balmerson — Among  the  Thickets- 
Serious  Discourse — What  is  Truth  ] — Unexpected  Intelligence 46 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Pass  of  Mirabete — Wolves  and  Shepherds — Female  Subtlety — Death  by  WoIvps — 
The  Mystery  solved— The  Mountains— The  Dark  Hour— The  Traveller  of  the  Night — 
Abarbenel— Hoarded  Treasure — Force  of  Gold — The  Archbishop — Arrival  at  Madrid    53 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Lodging  at  Madrid — My  Hostess — British  Ambassador — Mendizabal — Baltazar — Duties 
of  a  National — Young  Blood — The  Execution — Population  of  Madrid — The  Higher 
Orders— The  Lower  Classes — The  Bull  Fighter — The  Crabbed  Gitlno 58 

CHAPTER  XHI. 

Intrigues  at  Court — Quesada  and  Galiano — Dissolution  of  the  Cortes — The  Secretary — 
Arragonese  Pertinacity — The  Council  of  Trent — The  Asturian — The  Three  Thieves — 
Benedict  Mol — Th§  Men  of  Lucerne — The  Treasure 62 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

State  of  Spain — Isturitz — Revolution  of  the  Granja — The  Disturbance — Signs  of  Mis- 
chief— Newspaper  Reporters — Queseda's  Onslaught — The  Closing  Scene — Flight  of 
the  Moderados — The  Coffee  Bowl 66 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Steamer — Cape  Finisterre — The  Storm — Arrival  at  Cadiz — ^The  New  Testament — 
Seville — Italica — The  Amphitheatre — The  Prisoners — The  Encounter — Baron  Taylor 
The  Street  and  Desert 70 

CHAPTER  XVL 

Departure  for  Cordova — Carmona — German  Colonies — Language — The  Sluggish  Horse 
Nocturnal  Welcome — Carlist  Landlord — Good  Advice — Gomez — The  Old  Genoese — 
The  Two  Opinions 74 

CHAPTER  XVn. 

Cordova — Moors  of  Barbary — The  English — An  Old  Priest — ^The  Roman  Breviar}' — The 
Dovecote — The  Holy  Office — Judaism — Desecration  of  Dovecotes — The  Innkeeper's 
Proposal 78 

CHAPTER  XVin. 
Departure  from  Cordova — The  Contrabandista — Jewish  Cunning — Arrival  at  Madrid. . .     82 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Arrival  at  Madrid — Maria  Diaz—Printing  of  the  Testament— My  Project — ^Andalusian 
Steed — Servant  wanted — An  Application — Antonio  Buchini — General  Cordova — 
Principles  of  Honour 84 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Illness— Nocturnal  Visit — A  Master  Mind — The  Whisper — Salamanca — Irish  Hospita- 
lity— Spanish  Soldiers — The  Scriptures  advertised 88 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Departure  from  Salamanca — Reception  at  Pitiegua — The  Dilemma — Sudden  Inspiration 
— ^The  Good  Presbyter — Combat  of  Quadrupeds— Irish  Christians — Plains  of  Spain — 
The  Catalans — The  Fatal  Pool — Valladolid — Circulation  of  the  Scripture — Philippine 
Missions — English  College — A  Conversation — The  Gaoleress 91 


CONTENTS.  % 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Page 
Duenas — Children  of  Egypt — Jockeyism — The  Ba°;gage  Pony — The  Fall — Palencia — 
Carlist  Priests — The  Look-out — Priestly  Sincerity — Leon — Antonio   alarmed — Heat 
and  Dust 97 

CHAPTER  XXIIL 

Astorga— The  Inn — The  Maragatos — Habits  of  the  Maragatos — The  Statue 101 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Departure  from  Astorga — The  Venta — The  By-path — Narrow  Escape — The  Cup  of 
Water — Sun  and  Shade — Bembibre — Convent  of  the  Rocks — Sunset — Cacabelos — 
Midnight  Adventure — Villafranca 103 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Villafranca — ^The  Pass — Gallegan  Simplicity — The  Frontier  Guard — The  Horse-shoe — 
Gallegan  Peculiarities — A  Word  on  Language — The  Courier — Wretched  Cabins — 
Host  and  Guests — Andalusians 107 

CHAPTER  XXVL 

Lugo — The  Baths — A  Family  History — Miguelets — The  Three  Heads — A  Farrier — 
English  Squadron — Sale  of  Testaments — Coruna — The  Recognition — Luigi  Piozzi — 
The  Speculation — A  Blank  Prospect — John  Moore Ill 

CHAPTER  XXVn. 

Compostella — Rey  Romero — The  Treasure-seeker — Hopeful  Project — The  Church  of 
Refuge — Hidden  Riches — The  Canon — Spirit  of  Localism — The  Leper — Bones  of  St. 
James 116 

CHAPTER  XXVIIL 

Skippers  of  Padron — Caldos  de  los  Reyes — Pontevedra The  Notary  Public — In- 
sane Barber — An  Introduction — Gallegan  Language — Afternoon  Ride — Vigo — The 
Stranger — Jews  of  the  Desert — Bay  of  Vigo — Sudden  Interruption — The  Governor. . .   121 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Arrival  at  Padron — Projected  Enterprise — The  Alquilador — Breach  of  Promise — An 
Odd  Companion — A  Plain  Story — Rugged  Paths — The  Desertion  —  The  Pony — A 
Dialogue — Unpleasant  Situation — The  Estadea — Benighted — The  Hut — The  Travel- 
ler's Pillow 126 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Autumnal  Morning — The  World's  End — Corcuvion — Duyo — The  Cape — A  Whale — 
The  Outer  Bay — The  Arrest — The  Fisher-Magistrate — Calros  Rey — Hard  of  Belief — 
Where  is  your  Passport! — The  Beach — A  mighty  Liberal— The  Handmaid — The 
Grand  Baintham — Eccentric  Book — Hospitality 131 

CHAPTER  XXXL 

Coruna — Crossing  the  Bay — Ferrol — The  Dock-Yard — Where  are  we  now? — Greek 
Ambassador — Lantern-Light — The  Ravine — Viveiro — Evening — Marsh  and  Quag- 
mire—Fair Words  and  Fair  Money — The  Leathern  Girth — Eyes  of  Lynx — The 
Knavish  Guide 137 

CHAPTER  XXXn. 

Martin  of  Rivadeo — The  Factious  Mare — Asturians — Luarca — The  Seven  Bellotas — 
Hermits — The  Asturian's  Tale — Strange  Guests — The  Big  Servant — Batuschca HI 

CHAPTER  XXXIIL 

Oviedo — The  Ten  Gentlemen — ^The  Swiss  again — Modest  Request — The  Robbers — 

Episcopal  Benevolence — ^The  Cathedral — Portrait  of  Feijoo 145 

A  2 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Page 

Departure  from  Oviedo — Villa  Viciosa — The  Young  Man  of  the  Inn — Antonio's  Tale — 
The  General  and  his  Family — Woful  Tidings — To-morrow  we  die — San  Vincente — 
Santander — An  Harangue — Flinter  the  Irishman 148 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Departure  from  Santander — The  Night  Alarm — The  Black  Pass 152 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

State  of  Affairs  at  Madrid — The  New  Ministry — Pope  of  Rome — The  Bookseller  of 
Toledo — Sword  Blades — Houses  of  Toledo — The  Forlorn  Gipsy — Proceedings  at  Ma- 
drid— Another  Servant 153 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Euscarra — Basque  not  Irish — Sanscrit  and  Tartar  Dialects — A  Vowel  Language — Po- 
pular Poetry — The  Basques — Their  Persons — Basque  Women 156 

CHAPTER  XXXVm. 
The  Prohihition — Gospel  persecuted — Charge  of  Sorcerj- — Ofalia 159 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Two  Gospels— The  Alguazil— The  Warrant— The  Good  Maria— The  Arrest- 
Sent  to  Prison — Reflections — The  Reception — The  Prison-room — Redress  demanded  160 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Ofalia — The  Juez — Carcel  de  la  Corte — Sunday  in  Prison — Rohher  Dress — Father  and 
Son — Characteristic  Behaviour — The  Frenchman — Prison  Allowance — Valley  of  the 
Shadow — Pure  Castilian — Balseiro — The  Cave — Robber  Glory 164 

CHAPTER  XLL 

Maria  Diaz — Priestly  Vituperation — Antonio's  Visit — Antonio  at  Service — A  Scene — 
Benedict  Mol — Wandering  in  Spain — The  Four  Evangiles 169 

CHAPTER  XLH. 

I  iberation  from  Prison — The  Apology — Human  Nature — The  Greek's  Return — Church 
of  Rome — Light  of  Scripture — Archbishop  of  Toledo — An  Interview — Stones  of 
Price — A  Resolution — The  Foreign  Language — Benedict's  Farewell — Treasure  Hunt 
at  Compostella — Truth  and  Fiction 172 

CHAPTER  XLin. 

Villa  Seca — Moorish  House — The  Puchera — The  Rustic  Council — Polite  Ceremonial — 
The  Flower  of  Spain— The  Bridge  of  Azeca— The  Ruined  Castle— Taking  the  Field 
— Demand  for  the  Word — The  Old  Peasant — The  Curate  and  Blacksmith — Cheap- 
ness of  the  Scriptures 177 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Aranjuez — A  Warning — A  Night  Adventure — A  Fresh  Expedition— Segovia— Abades — 
Factious  Curas — Lopez  in  Prison — Rescue  of  Lopez 182 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

Return  to  Spain — Seville — ^A  Hoary  Persecutor — Manchegan  Prophetess — Antonio's 
Dream I$5 

CHAPTER  XVLL 

Work  of  Distribution  resumed — Adventure  at  Cobenna — Power  of  the  Clergy — Rural 
Authorities — Fuente  la  Higuera — Victoriano's  Mishap — Village  Prison — The  Rope — 
Antonio's  Errand — ^Antonio  at  Mass 187 


CONTENTS.  t 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 

Page 

Termination  of  our  Rural  Labours — Alarm  of  the  Clergy — A  New  Experiment — Suc- 
cess at  Madrid — Goblin-Alguazil — Staff  of  Office — The  Corregidor — An  Explanation 
— The  Pope  in  England — New  Testament  expounded — Works  of  Luther 191 

CHAPTER  XLVni. 

Projected  Journey — A  Scene  of  Blood — The  Friar — Seville — Beauties  of  Seville — 
Orange  Trees  and  Flowers — Murillo — The  Guardian  Angel — Dionysius — My  Coad- 
jutors— Demand  for  the  Bible 194 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

The  Solitary  House — The  Dehesa — Johannes  Chrysostom — Manuel — Bookselling  at  Se- 
ville— Dionysius  and  the  Priests — Athens  and  Rome — Proselytism — Seizure  of  Testa- 
ments— Departure  from  Seville 198 

CHAPTER  L. 

Night  on  the  Guadalquiver — Gospel  Light — Bonanza — Strand  of  San  Lucar — Andalu- 
sian  Scenery — History  of  a  Chest — Cosas  de  los  Ingleses — The  Two  Gipsies — The 
Driver — The  Red  Nightcap — The  Steamboat — Christian  Language 201 

CHAPTER  LI. 

Cadiz — The  Fortifications — The  Consul-General — Characteristic  Anecdote — Catalan 
Steamer — Trafalgar — Alonzo  Guzman — Gibil  Musa — Orestes  Frigate — The  Hostile 
Lion — Works  of  the  Creator — Lizard  of  the  Rock — The  Concourse — Queen  of  the 
Waters — Broken  Prayer 206 

CHAPTER  LH. 

The  Jolly  Hostler — Aspirants  for  Glory — A  Portrait — Hamilos — Solomons — An  Expe- 
dition— The  Yeoman  Soldier — The  JGxcavations — The  Pull  by  the  Skirt — Judah  and 
his  Father— Judah's  Pilgrimage — The  Bushy  Beard — The  False  Moors— Judah  and 
the  King's  Son — Premature  old  Age 211 

CHAPTER  LHL 

Genoese  Mariners — St.  Michael's  Cave — Midnight  Abysses — ^Young  American — A 
Slave  Proprietor — The  Fairy  Man — Infidelity 217 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

Again  on  Board — The  Strange  Visage — The  Hadji — Setting  Sail — The  Two  Jews — 
American  Vessel — Tangier — Adun  Oulem — The  Struggle — The  Forbidden  Thing 219 

CHAPTER  LV. 

The  Mole — The  Two  Moors — Djmah  of  Tangier — House  of  God — British  Consul — 
Curious  Spectacle — The  Moorish  House — Joanna  Correa — Ave  Maria 223 

CHAPTER  LVL 

The  Mahasni — Sin  Samani — The  Bazaar — Moorish  Saints — See  the  Ayana! — The 
Prickly  Fig — Jewish  Graves — The  Place  of  Carcases — The  Stable  Boy — Horses  of 
the  Moslem — Dar  Dwag 226 

CHAPTER  LVn. 

Strange  Trio — The  Mulatto — The  Peace-offering — Moors  of  Granada — Vive  la  Guade- 
loupe— The  Moors — Pascual  Fava — Blind  Algerine — The  Retreat 229 


PRETACE. 


It  is  very  seldom  that  the  preface  of  a 
work  is  read ;  indeed,  of  late  years,  most 
books  have  been  sent  into  the  world  without 
any.  I  deem  it,  however,  advisable  to  write 
a  preface,  and  to  this  I  humbly  call  the  at- 
tention of  the  courteous  reader,  as  its  perusal 
will  not  a  little  tend  to  the  proper  understand- 
ing and  appreciation  of  these  volumes. 

The  work  now  offered  to  the  public,  and 
which  is  styled  "The  Bible  in  Spain,"  con- 
sists of  a  narrative  of  what  occurred  to  me 
during  a  residence  in  that  country,  to  which 
I  was  sent  by  the  Bible  Society,  as  its  agent, 
for  the  purpose  of  printing  and  circulating  the 
Scriptures.  It  comprehends,  however,  cer- 
tain journeys  and  adventures  in  Portugal, 
and  leaves  me  at  last  in  "the  land  of  the 
Corahai,"  to  which  region,  after  having  un- 
dergone considerable  buffeting  in  Spain,  I 
found  it  expedient  to  retire  for  a  season. 

It  is  very  probable  that,  had  I  visited  Spain 
from  mere  curiosity,  or  with  a  view  of  pass- 
ing a  year  or  two  agreeably,  I  should  never 
have  attempted  to  give  any  detailed  account 
of  my  proceedings,  or  of  what  I  heard  and 
saw.  I  am  no  tourist,  no  writer  of  books 
of  travels ;  but  I  went  there  on  a  somewhat 
remarkable  errand,  which  necessarily  led  me 
into  strange  situations  and  positions,  involved 
me  in  difficulties  and  perplexities,  and  brought 
me  into  contact  with  people  of  all  descriptions 
and  grades;  so  that,  upon  the  whole,  I  flatter 
myself  that  a  narrative  of  such  a  pilgrimage 
may  not  be  wholly  uninteresting  to  the  pub- 
lic, more  especially  as  the  subject  is  not 
trite;  for  though  various  books  have  been 
published  about  Spain,  I  believe  that  the  pre- 
sent is  the  only  one  in  existence  which  treats 
of  missionary  labour  in  that  country. 

Many  things,  it  is  true,  will  be  found  in 
the  following  volumes  which  have  little 
connection  with  religion  or  religious  enter- 
prise ;  I  offer,  however,  no  apology  for  intro- 
ducing them.  I  was,  as  I  may  say,  from 
first  to  last  adrift  in  Spain,  the  land  of  old  re- 
nown, the  land  of  wonder  and  mystery,  with 
better  opportunities  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  its  strange  secrets  and  peculiarities  than 
2 


perhaps  ever  yet  were  afforded  to  any  indivi- 
dual, certainly  to  a  foreigner;  and  if  in  many 
instances  I  have  introduced  scenes  and  cha- 
racters perhaps  unprecedented  in  a  work  of 
this  description,  I  have  only  to  observe,  that, 
during  my  sojourn  in  Spain,  I  was  so  un- 
avoidably mixed  up  with  such,  that  I  could 
scarcely  have  given  a  faithful  narrative  of 
what  befell  me  had  I  not  brought  them  for- 
ward in  the  manner  which  I  have  done. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that,  called  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  "  to  undertake  the  adven- 
ture of  Spain,"  I  was  not  altogether  unpre- 
pared for  such  an  enterprise.  In  the  day- 
dreams of  my  boyhood,  Spain  always  bore  a 
considerable  share,  and  I  took  a  particular 
interest  in  her,  without  any  presentiment  that 
I  should  at  a  future  time  be  called  upon  to 
take  a  part,  however  humble,  in  her  strange 
dramas;  which  interest,  at  a  very  early  pe- 
riod, led  me  to  acquire  her  noble  language, 
and  to  make  myself  acquainted  with  her  lite- 
rature, (scarcely  worthy  of  the  language,)  her 
history,  and  traditions-;  so  that  when  I  en- 
tered Spain  for  the  first  time,  I  felt  more  at 
home  than  I  should  otherwise  have  done. 

In  Spain  1  passed  five  years,  which,  if  not 
the  most  eventful,  were,  I  have  no  hesitation 
in  saying,  the  most  happy  years  of  my  exist- 
ence. Of  Spain,  at  the  present  time,  now 
that  the  day-dream  has  vanished,  never,  alas ! 
to  return,  I  entertain  the  warmest  admiration: 
she  is  the  most  magnificent  country  in  the 
world,  probably  the  most  fertile,  and  certainly 
with  the  finest  climate.  Whether  her  children 
are  worthy  of  their  mother,  is  another  ques- 
tion, which  I  shall  not  attempt  to  answer ; 
but  content  mj'self  with  observing,  that, 
amongst  much  that  is  lamentable  and  repre- 
hensible, I  have  found  much  that  is  noble 
and  to  be  admired ;  much  stern,  heroic  vir- 
tue ;  much  savage  and  horrible  crime ;  of  low, 
vulgar  vice  very  little,  at  least  amongst  the 
great  body  of  the  Spanish  nation,  with  which 
my  mission  lay ;  for  it  will  be  as  well  here 
to  observe,  that  I  advance  no  claim  to  an  in- 
timate acquaintance  with  the  Spanish  nobi- 
lity, from  whom  I  kept  as  remote  as  circum- 


10 


PREFACE. 


stances  would  permit  me ;  en  revanche,  how- 
ever, I  have  had  the  honour  to  live  on  fami- 
liar terms  with  the  peasants,  shepherds,  and 
muleteers  of  Spain,  whose  bread  and  bacalao 
I  have  eaten;  who  always  treated  me  with 
kindness  and  courtes)',  and  to  whom  1  have 
not  unfrequently  been  indebted  for  shelter 
and  protection. 

"  The  generous  bearing  of  Francisco  Gon- 
zales, and  the  high  deeds  of  Ruy  Dias 
the  Cid,  are  still  sung  amongst  the  fast- 
nesses of  the  Sierra  Slorena."* 

I  believe  that  no  stronger  argument  can  be 
brought  forward  in  proof  of  the  natural  vigour 
and  resources  of  Spain,  and  the  sterling  cna- 
racter  of  her  population,  than  the  fact  that, 
at  the  present  day,  she  is  still  a  powerful  and 
unexhausted  country,  and  her  children  still, 
to  a  certain  extent,  a  high-minded  and  great 
people.  Yes,  notwithstanding  the  misrule  of 
the  brutal  and  sensual  Austrian,  the  doling 
Bourbon,  and,  above  all,  the  spiritual  tyranny 
of  the  court  of  Rome,  Spain  can  still  main- 
tain her  own,  fight  her  own  combat,  and 
Spaniards  are  not  yet  fanatic  slaves  and 
crouching  beggars.  This  is  saying  much, 
very  much  ;  she  has  undergone  far  more  than 
Naples  had  ever  to  bear,  and  yet  the  fate  of 
Naples  has  not  been  hers.  There  is  still 
valour  in  Asturia;  generosity  in  Arragon; 
probity  in  Old  Castile ;  and  the  peasant  wo- 
men of  La  Mancha  can  still  afford  to  place  a 
silver  fork  and  a  snowy  napkin  beside  the 
plate  of  their  guest.  Yes,  in  spite  of  Aus- 
trian, Bourbon,  and  Rome,  there  is  still  a 
•wide  gulf  between  Spain  and  Naples. 

Strange  as  it  may  sound,  Spain  is  not  a 
fanatic  country.  I  know  something  about 
her,  and  declare  that  she  is  not,  nor  has  ever 
been :  Spain  never  changes.  It  is  true  that, 
for  nearly  two  centuries,  she  was  the  she- 
butcher,  La  Verduga,  of  malignant  Rome; 
the  chosen  instrument  for  carrying  into  effect 
the  atrocious  projects  of  that  power;  yet 
fanaticism  was  not  the  sprinj^  which  im- 
pelled her  to  the  work  of  butchery ;  another 
feeling,  in  her  the  predominant  one,  was 
worked  upon — her  fatal  pride.  It  was  by 
humouring  her  pride  that  she  was  induced  to 
waste  her  precious  blood  and  treasure  in  the 
Low  Country  wars,  to  launch  the  Armada, 
and  to  many  other  equally  insane  actions. 
Love  of  Rome  had  ever  slight  influence  over 
her  policy ;  but  flattered  by  the  title  of  Gon- 
faloniera  of  the  Vicar  of  Jesus,  and  eager  to 
prove  herself  not  unworthy  of  the  same,  she 
shut  her  eyes  and  rushed  upon  her  own  de- 
struction with  the  cry  of  "Charge,  Spain!" 


*  "  Om  Frands  Gonzales,  og  Rodrik  Cid, 

End  siunges  i  Sierra  Murene !" 
Krbnike  Riim.     By  Severin  Grundtvig.     Co- 
penhagen, 1829. 


But  the  arms  of  Spain  became  powerless 
abroad,  and  she  retired  within  herself.  She 
ceased  to  be  the  tool  of  the  vengeance  and 
cruelty  of  Rome.  She  was  not  cast  aside, 
however.  No !  though  she  could  no  longer 
wield  the  sword  with  success  against  the 
Lutherans,  she  might  still  be  turned  to  some 
account.  She  had  still  gold  and  silver,  and 
she  was  still  the  land  of  the  vine  and  olive. 
Ceasing  to  be  the  butcher,  she  became  the 
banker  of  Rome ;  and  the  poor  Spaniards, 
who  always  esteem  it  a  privilege  to  pay  an- 
other person's  reckoning,  were  for  a  long 
time  happy  in  being  permitted  to  minister  to 
the  grasping  cupidity  of  Rome,  who,  during 
the  last  century,  probably  extracted  from 
Spain  more  treasure  than  from  all  the  rest 
of  Christendom. 

But  wars  came  into  the  land.  Napoleon 
and  his  fierce  Franks  invaded  Spain;  plun- 
der and  devastation  ensued,  the  effects  of 
which  will  probably  be  felt  for  ages.  Spain 
could  no  longer  pay  pence  to  Peter  so  freely 
as  of  yore,  and  from  that  period  she  became 
contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  Rome,  who  has 
no  respect  for  a  nation,  save  so  far  as  it  can 
minister  to  her  cruelty  or  avarice.  The 
Spaniard  was  still  willing  to  pay,  as  far  as 
his  means  would  allow ;  but  he  was  soon 
given  to  understand  that  he  was  a  degraded 
being, — a  barbarian ;  nay,  a  beggar.  Now, 
you  may  draw  the  last  cuarto  from  a  Spaniard 
provided  you  will  concede  to  him  the  title  of 
cavalier  and  rich  man,  for  the  old  leaven  still 
works  as  powerfully  as  in  the  time  of  the  first 
Philip;  but  you  must  never  hint  that  he  is 
poor,  or  that  his  blood  is  inferior  to  yoilr  own. 
And  the  old  peasant,  on  being  informed  in 
what  slight  estimation  he  was  held,  replied, 
"If  I  am  a  beast,  a  barbarian,  and  a  beggar 
withal,  I  am  sorry  for  it;  but  as  there  is  no 
remedy,  I  shall  spend  these  four  bushels  of 
barley,  which  I  had  reserved  to  alleviate  the 
misery  of  the  holy  father,  in  procuring  bull 
spectacles,  and  other  convenient  diversions, 
for  the  queen  my  wife,  and  the  young  princes 
my  children.  Beggar!  carajo!  The  water 
of  my  village  is  better  than  the  wine  of 
Rome." 

I  see  that  in  a  late  pastoral  letter  directed 
to  the  Spaniards,  the  father  of  Rome  com- 
plains bitterly  of  the  treatment  which  he  has 
received  in  Spain  at  the  hands  of  naughty 
men.  "My  cathedrals  are  let  down,"  he 
says,  "my  priests  are  insulted,  and  the  reve-  « 
nues  of  my  bishops  are  curtailed."  He  con- 
soles himself,  however,  with  the  idea  that 
this  is  the  effect  of  the  malice  of  a  few,  and 
that  the  generality  of  the  nation  love  him, 
especially  the  peasantry,  the  innocent  pea- 
santry, who  shed  tears  when  they  think  of 


PREFACE. 


11 


•the  sufferings  of  their  pope  and  their  reli-  j 
gion.  Undeceive  yourself,  Batuschca,  unde-  ] 
ceive  yourself!  Spain  was  ready  to  fight  for  i 
you  so  long  as  she  could  increase  her  own 
glory  by  doing  so;  but  she  took  no  pleasure 
in  losing  battle  after  battle  on  your  account. 
Slie  had  no  objection  to  pay  money  into  your 
coifers  in  the  shape  of  alms,  expecting,  how- 
ever, that  the  same  would  be  received  with 
the  gratitude  and  humility  which  become 
those  who  accept  charity.  Finding,  how- 
ever, that  you  were  neither  humble  nor  grate- 
ful ;  suspecting,  moreover,  that  you  held  Aus- 
tria in  higher  esteem  than  herself,  even  as  a 
banker,  she  shrugged  up  her  shoulders,  and 
uttered  a  sentence  somewhat  similar  to  that 
which  I  have  already  put  into  the  mouth  of 
one  of  her  children,  "  These  four  bushels  of 
barley,"  &c. 

It  is  truly  surprising  what  little  interest  the 
great  body  of  the  Spanish  nation  took  in  the 
late  struggle,  and  yet  it  has  been  called,  by 
some  who  ought  to  know  better,  a  war  of  re- 
ligion and  principle.  It  was  generally  sup- 
posed that  Biscay  was  the  stronghold  of 
Carlism,  and  that  the  inhabitants  were  fana- 
tically attached  to  their  religion,  which  they 
apprehended  was  in  danger.  The  truth  is, 
that  the  Basques  cared  nothing  for  Carlos  or 
Rome,  but  merely  took  up  arms  to  defend 
certain  rights  and  privileges  of  their  own. 
For  the  dwarfish  brother  of  Ferdinand  they 
always  exhibited  supreme  contempt,  which 
his  character,  a  compound  of  imbecility,  cow- 
ardice, and  cruelty,  well  merited.  If  they 
made  use  of  his  name,  it  was  merely  as  a  cri 
de  guerre.  Much  the  same  may  be  said  with 
respect  to  his  Spanish  partisans,  at  least 
those  who  appeared  in  the  field  for  him. 
These,  however,  were  of  a  widely  different 
character  from  the  Basques,  who  were  brave 
soldiers  and  honest  men.  The  Spanish  ar- 
mies of  Don  Carlos  were  composed  entirely 
of  thieves  and  assassins,  chiefly  Valencians 
and  Manchegans,  who,  marshalled  under  two 
cut-throats,  Cabrera  and  Palillos,  took  advan- 
tage of  the  distracted  state  of  the  country  to 
plunder  and  massacre  the  honest  part  of  the 
community.  With  respect  to  the  Queen  Regent 
Christina,  of  whom  the  less  said  the  better, 
the  reins  of  government  fell  into  her  hands 
on  the  decease  of  her  husband,  and  with 
them  the  command  of  the  soldiery.  The  re- 
spectable part  of  the  Spanish  nation,  and 
more  especially  the  honourable  and  toilworn 
peasantry,  loathed  and  execrated  both  fac- 
tions. Oft  when  I  was  sharing  at  nightfall 
the  frugal  fare  of  the  villager  of  Old  or  New 
Castile,  on  hearing  the  distant  shot  of  the 
Christino  soldier  or  Carlist  bandit,  he  would 
invoke  curses  on  the  heads  of  the  two  pre- 


tenders, not  forgetting  the  holy  father,  and 
the  goddess  of  Rome,  Maria  Santissima. 
Then,  with  the  tiger  energy  of  the  Spaniard 
when  roused,  he  would  start  up  and  exclaim: 
"  Vamos,  Don  Jorge,  to  the  plain,  to  the 
plain!  I  wish  to  enlist  with  you,  and  to 
learn  the  law  of  the  English.  To  the  plain, 
therefore,  to  the  plain  to-morrow,  to  circulate 
the  gospel  of  Ingalaterra." 

Amongst  the  peasantry  of  Spain  I  found 
my  sturdiest  supporters;  and  yet  the  holy 
father  supposes  that  the  Spanish  labourers 
are  friends  and  lovers  of  his.  Undeceive 
yourself,  Batuschca! 

But  to  return  to  the  present  work:  it  is  de- 
voted to  an  account  of  what  befell  me  in 
Spain  whilst  engaged  in  distributing  the 
Scripture.  With  respect  to  my  poor  labours, 
I  wish  here  to  observe,  that  I  accomplished 
but  very  little,  and  that  I  lay  claim  to  no 
brilliant  successes  and  triumphs;  indeed,  I 
was  sent  into  Spain  more  to  explore  the 
country,  and  to  ascertain  how  far  the  minds 
of  the  people  were  prepared  to  receive  the 
truths  of  Christianity,  than  for  any  other  ob- 
ject; I  obtained,  however,  through  the  assist- 
ance of  kind  friends,  permission  from  the 
Spanish  government  to  print  an  edition  of 
the  sacred  volume  at  Madrid,  which  I  subse- 
quently circulated  in  that  capital  and  in  the 
provinces. 

During  my  sojourn  in  Spain,  there  were 
others  who  wrought  good  service  in  the  gos- 
pel cause,  and  of  whose  efforts  it  were  un- 
just to  be  silent  in  a  work  of  this  description. 
Base  is  the  heart  which  would  refuse  merit 
its  meed,  and,  however  insignificant  may  be 
the  value  of  any  eulogium  which  can  flow 
from  a  pen  like  mine,  I  cannot  refrain  from 
mentioning  with  respect  and  esteem  a  few 
names  connected  with  gospel  enterprise.  A 
zealous  Irish  gentleman,  of  the  name  of 
Graydon,  exerted  himself  with  indefatigable 
diligence  in  diffusing  the  light  of  Scripture 
in  the  province  of  Catalonia,  and  along  the 
southern  shores  of  Spain;  whilst  two  mis- 
sionaries from  Gibraltar,  Messrs.  Rule  and 
Lyon,  during  one  entire  year,  preached  evan- 
gelic truth  in  a  church  at  Cadiz.  So  much 
success  attended  the  efforts  of  these  two  last 
brave  disciples  of  the  immortal  Wesley,  that 
there  is  every  reason  for  supposing  that,  had 
they  not  been  silenced  and  eventually  ba- 
nished from  the  country  by  the  pseudo-liberal 
faction  of  the  Moderados,  not  only  Cadiz,  but 
the  greater  part  of  Andalusia,  would  by  this 
time  have  confessed  the  pure  doctrines  of  the 
gospel,  and  have  discarded  forever  the  last 
relics  of  popish  superstition. 

More  immediately  connected  with  the  Bible 
Society  and  myself,  I  am  most  happy  to  take 


18 


PREFACE. 


this  opportunity  of  spealiing  of  Luis  de  Usoz 
y  Rio,  the  scion  of  an  ancient  and  honourable 
family  of  Old  Castile,  my  coadjutor  whilst 
editing  the  Spanish  New  Testament  at  Ma- 
drid. Throughout  my  residence  in  Spain,  I 
experienced  every  mark  of  friendship  from 
this  gentleman,  who,  during  the  periods  of 
my  absence  in  the  provinces,  and  my  nume- 
rous and  long  journeys,  cheerfully  supplied 
my  place  at  Madrid,  and  exerted  himself  to 
the  utmost  in  forwarding  the  views  of  the 
Bible  Society,  influenced  by  no  other  motive 
than  a  hope  that  its  efforts  would  eventually 
contribute  to  the  peace,  happiness,  and  civi- 
lization of  his  native  knd.* 

In  conclusion,  I  beg  leave  to  state  that  I 
am  fully  aware  of  the  various  faults  and  in- 

*  In  my  account  of  the  Spanish  Gipsies,  having 
to  speak  of  Carlos  the  Third,  I  was  indebted  to 
Luis  de  Usoz  for  some  curious  facts,  probably 
only  known  to  himself,  relative  to  that  monarch. 
(See  Zincali,  p.  209-10.)  Also  for  some  interest- 
ing notices  of  the  communeros,  of  which  I  availed 
myself  when  speaking  of  Maria  Padilla.  {Zincali, 
pp.  95-102.)  Perhaps  no  person  living  is  more 
competent  to  elucidate  obscure  portions  of  Spa- 
nish history  than  this  gentleman. 


accuracies  of  the  present  work.  It  is  found- 
ed on  certain  journals  which  I  kept  during 
my  slay  in  Spain,  and  numerous  letters  writ- 
ten to  my  friends  in  England,  which  they 
had  subsequently  the  kindness  to  restore: 
the  greater  part,  however,  consisting  of  de- 
scriptions of  scenery,  sketches  of  character, 
&c.,  has  been  supplied  from  memory.  In 
various  instances  I  have  omitted  the  names 
of  places,  which  I  have  either  forgotten,  or 
of  whose  orthography  I  am  uncertain.  The 
work,  as  it  at  present  exists,  was  written  in 
a  solitary  hamlet  in  a  remote  part  of  England, 
where  I  had  neither  books  to  consult  nor 
friends  of  whose  opinion  or  advice  I  could 
occasionally  avail  myself,  and  under  all  the 
disadvantages  which  arise  from  enfeebled 
health ;  I  have,  however,  on  a  recent  occa- 
sion, experienced  too  much  of  the  lenity  and 
generosity  of  the  public,  both  of  Britain  and 
America,  to  shrink  from  again  exposing  my- 
self to  its  gaze,  and  trust  that,  if  in  the  pre- 
sent volume  it  find  but  little  to  admire,  it 
will  give  me  credit  for  good  spirit,  and  for 
setting  down  naught  in  malice. 


November  26,  1842. 


THE  BIBLE  M  SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Man  overboard — The  Tagus — Foreign  Languages — Gesticulation — Streets  of  Lisbon — Tbe  Aque- 
duct— Bible  tolerated  in  Portugal — Cintra — Don  Sebastian — John  De  Castro — Conversation  with 
a  Priest — Colhares — Mafra — Its  Palace — The  Schoolmaster — The  Portuguese — Their  Ignorance 
of  Scripture — Rural  Priesthood — The  Alemtejo. 


Oi\  the  morning  of  the  1 0th  of  November, 
1835,  1  found  myself  off  the  coast  of  Galicia, 
whose  lofty  mountains,  gilded  by  the  rising 
sun,  presented  a  magnificent  appearance.  I 
was  bound  for  Lisbon  ;  we  passed  Cape  Fin- 
isterre,  and  standing  farther  out  to  sea,  speed- 
ily lost  sight  of  land.  On  the  morning  of  the 
11th  the  sea  was  very  rough,  and  a  remarka- 
ble circumstance  occurred.  I  was  on  the 
forecastle,  discoursing  with  two  of  the  sailors : 
one  of  them,  who  had  but  just  left  his  ham- 
mock, said,  "I  have  had  a  strange  dream, 
which  I  do  not  much  like,  for,"  continued  he, 
pointing  up  to  the  mast,  "I  dreamt  that  I  fell 
into  the  sea  from  the  cross-trees."  He  was 
heard  to  say  this  by  several  of  the  crew  be- 
sides myself.  A  moment  after,  the  captain 
of  the  vessel  perceiving  that  the  squall  was 
increasing,  ordered  the  topsails  to  be  taken  in, 
whereupon  this  man  with  several  others  in- 
stantly ran  aloft;  the  yard  was  in  the  act  of 
being  hauled  down,  when  a  sudden  gust  of 
wind  whirled  it  round  with  violence,  and  a 
man  was  struck  down  from  the  cross-trees 
into  the  sea,  which  was  working  like  yeast 
below.  In  a  few  moments  he  emerged ;  1  saw 
his  head  on  the  crest  of  a  billow,  and  instantly 
recognised  in  the  unfortunate  man  the  sailor 
who  a  few  moments  before  had  related  his 
dream.  I  shall  never  forget  the  look  of  agony 
he  cast  whilst  the  steamer  hurried  past  him. 
The  alarm  was  given,  and  every  thing  was  in 
confusion  ;  it  was  two  minutes  at  least  before 
the  vessel  was  stopped,  by  which  time  the 
man  was  a  considerable  way  astern;  I  still, 
however,  kept  my  eye  upon  him,  and  could 
see  that  he  was  struggling  gallantly  with  the 
waves.  A  boat  was  at  length  lowered,  but 
the  rudder  was  unfortunately  not  at  hand,  and 
only  two  oars  could  be  procured,  with  which 
the  men  could  make  but  little  progress  in  so 
rough  a  sea.  They  did  their  best,  however, 
and  had  arrived  within  ten  yards  of  the  man, 
who  still  struggled  for  his  life,  when  I  lost 
sight  of  him,  and  the  men  on  their  return  said 
that  they  saw  him  below  the  water,  at  glimp- 
ses, sinking  deeper  and  deeper,  his  arms 
stretched  out  and  his  body  apparently  stiff, 
but  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  save  him; 
presently  after,  the  sea,  as  if  satisfied  with  the 


prey  which  it  had  acquired,  became  compara- 
tively calm.  The  poor  fellow  who  perished 
in  this  singular  manner  was  a  fine  young  man 
of  twenty-seven,  the  only  son  of  a  widowed 
mother;  he  was  the  best  sailor  on  board,  and 
was  beloved  by  all  who  were  acquainted  with 
him.  This  event  occurred  on  the  11th  of 
November,  1835;  the  vessel  was  the  London 
Merchant  steam  ship.  Truly  wonderful  are 
the  ways  of  Providence ! 

That  same  night  we  entered  the  Tagus,  and 
dropped  anchor  before  the  old  tower  of  Belem ; 
early  the  next  morning  we  weighed,  and,  pro- 
ceeding onward  about  a  league,  we  again  an- 
chored at  a  short  distance  from  the  Casidrea, 
or  principal  quay  of  Lisbon.  Here  we  lay 
for  some  hours  beside  the  enormous  black 
hulk  of  the  Reyna  Nao,  a  man-of-war,  which 
in  old  times  so  captivated  the  eye  of  Nelson, 
that  he  would  fain  have  procured  it  for  his 
native  country.  She  was,  long  subsequently, 
the  admiral's  ship  of  the  Miguelite  squadron, 
and  had  been  captured  by  the  gallant  Napier 
about  three  years  previous  to  the  time  of  which 
I  am  speaking. 

The  Reyna  Nao  is  said  to  have  caused  him 
more  trouble  than  all  the  other  vessels  of  the 
enemy  :  and  some  assert  that,  had  the  others 
defended  themselves  with  half  the  fury  which 
the  old  vixen  queen  displayed,  the  result  of 
the  battle  which  decided  the  fate  of  Portugal 
would  have  been  widely  different. 

I  found  disembarkation  at  Lisbon  to  be  a 
matter  of  considerable  vexation  ;  the  custom- 
house officers  were  exceedingly  uncivil,  and 
examined  every  article  of  my  little  baggage 
with  most  provoking  minuteness. 

My  first  impression  on  landing  in  the  Pe- 
ninsula was  by  no  means  a  favourable  one; 
and  I  had  scarcely  pressed  the  soil  one  hour 
before  I  heartily  wished  myself  back  in  Rus- 
sia, a  country  which  I  had  quitted  about  one 
month  previous,  and  where  I  had  left  cherish- 
ed friends  and  warm  affections. 

After  having  submitted  to  much  ill  usage 
and  robbery  at  the  custom-house,  I  proceeded 
in  quest  of  a  lodging,  and  at  last  found  one, 
but  dirty  and  expensive.  The  next  day  I 
hired  a  servant,  a  Portuguese ;  it  being  my 
invariable  custom,  on  arriving  in  a  country, 
B  13 


14 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


to  avail  myself  of  the  services  of  a  native, 
chiefly  with  the  view  of  perfecting  myself  in 
the  language;  and  being  already  acquainted 
with  most  of  the  principal  languages  and  dia- 
lects of  the  east  and  the  west,  I  am  soon  able 
to  make  myself  quite  intelligible  to  the  inha- 
bitants. In  about  a  fortnight  I  found  myself 
conversing  in  Portuguese  with  considerable 
fluency. 

Those  who  wish  to  make  themselves  under- 
stood by  a  foreigner  in  his  own  language, 
should  speak  with  much  noise  and  vocifera- 
tion, opening  their  mouths  wide.  Is  it  sur- 
prising that  the  English  are,  in  general,  the 
worst  linguists  in  the  world,  seeing  that  they 
pursue  a  system  diametrically  opposite?  For 
example,  when  they  attempt  to  speak  Spanish, 
the  most  sonorous  tongue  in  existence,  they 
scarcely  open  their  lips,  and,  putting  their 
hands  in  their  pockets,  fumble  lazily,  instead 
of  applying  them  to  the  indispensable  office 
of  gesticulation.  Well  may  the  poor  Spaniards 
exclaim,  Extos  Ingksilos  hdblan  tan  cerrada- 
tnente  que  el  mismo  Demonio  no  es  capaz  de 
entenderlos. 

Lisbon  is  a  huge  ruinous  city,  still  exhibit- 
ing, in  almost  every  direction,  the  vestiges  of 
that  terrific  visitation  of  God,  the  earthquake, 
which  shattered  it  some  eighty  years  ago.  It 
stands  on  seven  hills,  the  loftiest  of  which  is 
occupied  by  the  castle  of  Saint  George,  which 
is  the  boldest  and  most  prominent  object  to 
the  eye,  whilst  surveying  the  city  from  the 
Tagus.  The  most  frequented  and  busy  parts 
of  the  city  are  those  comprised  within  the  val- 
ley to  the  north  of  this  elevation. 

Here  you  find  the  Plaza  of  the  Inquisition, 
the  principal  square  in  Lisbon,  from  which 
run  parallel  towards  the  river  three  or  four 
streets,  amongst  which  are  those  of  the  Gold 
and  Silver,  so  designated  from  being  inhabit- 
ed by  smiths  cunning  in  the  working  of  those 
metals :  they  are,  upon  the  whole,  very  mag- 
nificent; the  houses  are  huge,  and  as  high  as 
castles;  immense  pillars  defend  the  causeway 
at  intervals,  producing,  however,  rather  a 
cumbrous  effect.  These  streets  are  quite  level, 
and  are  well  paved,  in  which  respect  they 
differ  from  all  the  others  in  Lisbon.  The 
most  singular  street,  however,  of  all,  is  that 
of  the  Alemcrin,  or  Rosemary,  which  debouch- 
es on  the  Casidrea.  It  is  very  precipitous, 
and  is  occupied  on  either  side  by  the  palaces 
of  the  principal  Portuguese  nobility,  massive 
and  frowning,  but  grand  and  picturesque  edi- 
fices, with  here  and  there  a  hanging  garden, 
overlooking  the  street  at  a  great  height. 

With  all  its  ruin  and  desolation,  Lisbon  is 
unquestionably  the  most  remarkable  city  in 
the  Peninsula,  and,  perhaps,  in  the  south  of 
Europe.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  enter  into 
minute  details  concerning  it;  I  shall  content 
myself  with  remarking,  that  it  is  quite  as 
much  deserving  the  attention  of  the  artist  as 
even  Rome  itself.  True  it  is,  that  though  it 
abounds  with  churches,  it  has  no  gigantic  ca- 
thedral, like  St.  Peter's  to  attract  the  eye  and 
fill  it  with  wonder ;  yet  I  boldly  say  that  there 
is  no  monument  of  man's  labour  and  skill, 


pertaining  either  to  ancient  or  modern  Rome, 
for  whatever  purpose  designed,  which  can 
rival  the  water-works  of  Lisbon:  I  mean  the 
stupendous  aqueduct  whose  principal  arches 
cross  the  valley  to  the  north-east  of  Lisbon, 
and  which  discharges  its  little  runnel  of  cool 
and  delicious  water  into  the  rocky  cistern 
within  that  beautiful  edifice  called  the  Mother 
of  the  Waters,  from  whence  all  Lisbon  is 
supplied  with  the  crystal  lymph,  though  the 
source  is  seven  leagues  distant.  Let  travellers 
devote  one  entire  morning  to  inspecting  the 
Arcos  and  the  Mai  das  agoas,  after  which  they 
may  repair  to  the  English  church  and  ceme- 
tery, Pere-la-chaise  in  miniature,  where,  if 
they  be  of  England,  they  may  well  be  excused 
if  they  kiss  the  cold  tomb,  as  I  did,  of  the 
author  of  "  Amelia,"  the  most  singular  genius 
which  their  island  ever  produced,  whose  works 
it  has  long  been  the  fashion  to  abuse  in  public 
and  to  read  in  secret.  In  the  same  cemetery 
rest  the  mortal  remains  of  Doddridge,  another 
English  author  of  a  different  slarnp,  but  justly 
admired  and  esteemed. 

I  had  not  intended,  on  disembarking,  to  re- 
main long  in  Lisbon,  nor,  indeed,  in  Portugal ; 
my  destination  was  Spain,  whither  I  shortly 
proposed  to  direct  my  steps,  it  being  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Bible  Society  to  attempt  to  com- 
mence operations  in  that  country,  the  object 
of  which  should  be  the  distribution  of  the  word 
of  God  ;  for  Spain  had  hitherto  been  a  region 
barred  against  the  admission  of  the  Bible; 
not  so  Portugal,  where,  since  the  revolution, 
the  Bible  had  been  permitted  both  to  be  intro- 
duced and  circulated.  Little,  however,  had 
been  accomplished ;  therefore,  finding  myself 
in  the  country,  I  determined,  if  possible,  to 
effect  something  in  the  way  of  distribution, 
but,  first  of  all,  to  make  myself  acquainted  as 
to  how  far  the  people  were  disposed  to  receive 
the  Bible,  and  whether  the  state  of  education 
in  general  would  permit  them  to  turn  it  to 
much  account.  I  had  plenty  of  Bibles  and 
Testaments  at  my  disposal,  but  could  the  peo- 
ple read  them,  or  would  they?  A  friend  of 
the  Society  to  whom  I  was  recommended  was 
absent  from  Lisbon  at  the  period  of  my  arrival ; 
this  I  regretted,  as  he  could  have  afforded  me 
several  useful  hints.  In  order,  however,  that 
no  lime  might  be  lost,  I  determined  not  to  wait 
for  his  arrival,  but  at  once  proceed  to  gather 
the  best  information  I  could  upon  those  points 
to  which  I  have  already  alluded.  I  determined 
to  commence  my  researches  at  some  slight 
distance  from  Lisbon,  being  well  aware  of  the 
erroneous  ideas  that  I  must  form  of  the  Portu- 
guese in  general,  should  I  judge  of  their  cha- 
racter and  opinions  from  what  1  saw  and  heard 
in  a  city  so  much  subjected  to  foreign  inter- 
course. 

My  first  excursion  was  to  Cintra.  If  there 
be  any  place  in  the  world  entitled  to  the  ap- 
pellation of  an  enchanted  region,  it  is  surely 
Cintra;  Tivoli  is  a  beautiful  and  picturesque 
place,  but  it  quickly  fades  from  the  mind  of 
those  who  have  seen  the  Portuguese  Paradise. 
When  speaking  of  Cintra,  it  must  not  for  a 
moment  be  supposed  that  nothing  more  is 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


15 


meant  than  the  little  town  or  city;  by  Cintra 
must  be  understood  the  entire  region,  town, 
palace,  quintas,  forests,  crags,  Moorish  ruin, 
which  suddenly  burst  on  the  view  on  round- 
ing the  side  of  a  bleak,  savage,  and  sterile- 
looking  mountain.  Nothing  is  more  sullen 
and  uninviting  than  the  south-western  aspect 
of  the  stony  wall  which,  on  the  side  of  Lis- 
bon, seems  to  shield  Cintra  from  the  eye  of 
the  world,  but  the  other  side  is  a  mingled 
scene  of  fairy  beauty,  artificial  elegance,  sa- 
vage grandeur,  domes,  turrets,  enormous  trees, 
tiowers,  and  waterfalls,  such  as  is  met  with 
nowhere  else  beneath  the  sun.  Oh  !  there  are 
stiange  and  wonderful  objects  at  Cintra,  and 
strange  and  wonderful  recollections  attached 
to  tiiem ;  the  ruin  on  that  lofty  peak,  and 
which  covers  part  of  the  side  of  that  precipi- 
tous steep,  was  once  the  principal  stronghold 
of  the  Lusitanian  Moors,  and  thither,  long 
after  they  had  disappeared,  at  a  particular 
moon  of  every  year,  were  wont  to  repair  wild 
santons  of  Maugrabie,  to  pray  at  the  tomb  of 
a  famous  Sidi,  who  slumbers  amongst  the 
rocks.  That  gray  palace  witnessed  the  as- 
semblage of  the  last  cortes  held  by  the  boy 
king  Sebastian,  ere  he  departed  on  his  roman- 
tic expedition  against  the  Moors,  who  so  well 
avenged  their  insulted  faith  and  country  at 
Alcazarquibir;  and  in  that  low  shady  quinta, 
embowered  amongst  those  tall  alcornoques, 
once  dwelt  John  de  Castro,  the  strange  old 
viceroy  of  Goa,  who  pawned  the  hairs  of  his 
dead  son's  beard  to  raise  money  to  repair  the 
ruined  wall  of  a  fortress  threatened  by  the 
heathen  of  Ind ;  those  crumbling  stones  which 
stand  before  the  portal,  deeply  graven,  not 
with  "  runes,"  but  things  equally  dark,  San- 
scrit rhymes  from  the  Vedas,  were  brought 
by  him  from  Goa,  the  most  brilliant  scene  of 
his  glory,  before  Portugal  had  become  a  base 
kingdom  ;  and  down  that  dingle,  on  an  abrupt 
rocky  promontory,  stand  the  ruined  halls  of 
the  English  Millionaire,  who  there  nursed  the 
wayward  fancies  of  a  mind  as  wild,  rich,  and 
variegated  as  the  scenes  around.  Yes,  won- 
derful are  the  objects  which  meet  the  eye  at 
Cintra,  and  wonderful  are  the  recollections 
attached  to  them. 

The  town  of  Cintra  contains  about  eight 
hundred  inhabitants.  The  morning  subse- 
quent to  my  arrival,  as  I  was  about  to  ascend 
the  mountain  for  the  purpose  of  examining 
the  Moorish  ruins,  I  observed  a  person  ad- 
vancing towards  me  whom  I  judged  by  his 
dress  to  be  an  ecclesiastic;  he  was  in  fact  one 
of  the  three  priests  of  the  place.  I  instantly 
accosted  him,  and  had  no  reason  to  regret  do- 
ing so ;  I  found  him  affable  and  communi- 
cative. 

After  praising  the  beauty  of  the  surround- 
ing scenery,  I  made  some  inquiry  as  to  the 
state  of  education  amongst  the  people  under 
his  care.  He  answered,  that  he  was  sorry  to 
say  that  they  were  in  a  state  of  great  igno- 
rance, very  few  of  the  common  people  being 
able  either  to  read  or  write ;  that,  with  respect 
to  schools,  there  was  but  one  in  the  place, 
where  four  or  five  children  were  taught  the 


I  alphabet,  but  that  even  this  was  at  present 
j  closed  ;  he  informed  me,  however,  that  there 
I  was  a  school   at   Colhares,  about  a  league 
j  distant.     Amongst  other  things,  he  said  that 
1  nothing  more  surprised  him  than  to  see  Eng- 
I  lishmen,   the   most    learned   and    intelligent 
people   in   the   world,  visiting  a   place   like 
Cintra,  where  there  was  no  literature,  science, 
nor  any  thing  of  utility  {coisa  que  presia).     I 
suspect  that  there  was  some  covert  satire  in  the 
last  speech  of  the  worthy  priest;  I  was,  how- 
ever, Jesuit  enough  to  appear  to  receive  it  as 
a  high  compliment,  and,  taking  off  my  hat, 
departed  with  an  infinity  of  bows. 

That  same  day  I  visited  Colhares,  a  ro- 
mantic village  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  of 
Cintra,  to  the  north-west.  Seeing  some  pea- 
sants collected  round  a  smithy,  I  inquired 
about  the  school,  whereupon  one  of  the  men 
instantly  conducted  me  thither.  I  went  up- 
stairs into  a  small  apartment,  where  I  found 
the  master  with  about  a  dozen  pupils  standing 
in  a  row ;  I  saw  but  one  stool  in  the  room, 
and  to  that,  after  having  embraced  me,  he 
conducted  me  with  great  civility.  After  some 
discourse,  he  showed  me  the  books  which  hn 
used  for  the  instruction  of  the  children  ;  they 
were  spelling  books,  much  of  the  same  kind 
as  those  used  in  the  village  schools  in  Eng- 
land. Upon  my  asking  him  whether  it  was 
his  practice  to  place  the  Scriptures  in  the 
hands  of  the  children,  he  informed  me  that 
long  before  they  had  acquired  sufficient  intel- 
ligence to  understand  them  they  were  removed 
by  their  parents,  in  order  that  they  might  as- 
sist in  the  labours  of  the  field,  and  that  the 
parents  in  general  were  by  no  means  solicitous 
that  their  children  should  learn  any  thing,  as 
they  considered  the  time  occupied  in  learning 
as  so  much  squandered  away.  He  said,  that 
though  the  schools  were  nominally  supported 
by  the  government,  it  was  rarely  that  the 
schoolmasters  could  obtain  their  salaries,  on 
which  account  many  had  of  late  resigned 
their  employments.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  in  his  posses- 
sion, which  I  desired  to  see,  but  on  examin- 
ing it  I  discovered  that  it  was  only  the  epis- 
tles by  Pereira,  with  copious  notes.  I  asked 
him  whether  he  considered  that  there  was 
harm  in  reading  the  Scriptures  without  notes; 
he  replied  that  there  was  certainly  no  harm  in 
it,  but  that  simple  people,  without  the  help 
of  notes,  could  derive  but  little  benefit  from 
Scripture,  as  the  greatest  part  would  be  unin- 
telligible to  them  ;  whereupon  I  shook  hands 
with  him,  and  on  departing  said  that  there 
was  no  part  of  Scripture  so  difficult  to  under- 
stand as  those  very  notes  which  were  intended 
to  elucidate  it,  and  that  it  would  never  have 
been  written  if  not  calculated  of  itself  to  il- 
lume the  minds  of  all  classes  of  mankind. 

In  a  day  or  two  I  made  an  excursion  to  Ma 
fra,  distant  about  three  leagues  from  Cintra; 
the  principal  part  of  the  way  lay  over  steep 
hills,  somewhat  dangerous  for  horses;  how- 
ever, I  reached  the  place  in  safety. 

Mafra  is  a  large  village  in  the  neighbour 
hood  of  an  immense  building,  intended  t  < 


16 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


serve  as  a  convent  and  palace,  and  which  is 
built  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  the  Escu- 
rial.  In  this  edifice  exists  the  finest  library  in 
Portugal,  containing  books  on  all  sciences 
and  in  all  languages,  and  well  suited  to  the 
size  and  grandeur  of  the  edifice  which  con- 
tains it.  There  were  no  monks,  however,  to 
take  care  of  it,  as  in  former  times  ;  they  had 
been  driven  forth,  some  to  beg  their  bread, 
some  to  serve  under  the  banners  of  Don  Car- 
los, in  Spain,  and  many,  as  I  was  informed,  to 
prowl  about  as  banditti.  I  found  the  place 
abandoned  to  two  or  three  menials,  and  exhi- 
biting an  aspect  of  solitude  and  desolation 
truly  appalling.  Whilst  I  was  viewing  the 
cloisters,  a  fine  intelligent-looking  lad  came  up 
and  asked  (I  suppose  in  the  hope  of  obtaining 
a  trifle)  whether  I  would  permit  him  to  show 
me  the  village  church,  which  he  informed  me 
was  well  worth  seeing;  I  said  no,  but  added, 
that  if  he  would  show  me  ihe  village  school 
I  should  feel  much  obliged  to  him.  He  looked 
at  me  with  astonishment,  and  assured  me  that 
there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  at  the  school, 
which  did  not  contain  more  than  half  a  dozen 
boys,  and  that  he  himself  was  one  of  the  num- 
ber. On  my  telling  him,  however,  that  he 
should  show  me  no  other  place,  he  at  length  un- 
willingly attended  me.  On  the  way  I  learned 
from  him  that  the  schoolmaster  was  one  of  the 
friars  who  had  lately  been  expelled  from  the 
convent,  that  he  was  a  very  learned  man,  and 
spoke  French  and  Greek.  We  passed  a  stone 
cross,  and  the  boy  bent  his  head  and  crossed 
himself  with  much  devotion.  I  mention  this 
circumstance  as  it  was  the  first  instance  of  the 
kind  which  I  had  observed  amongst  the  Por- 
tuguese since  my  arrival.  When  near  the 
house  where  the  schoolmaster  resided  he 
pointed  it  out  to  me,  and  then  hid  himself  be- 
hind a  wall,  where  he  awaited  my  return. 

On  stepping  over  the  threshold  I  was  con- 
fronted by  a  short  stout  man,  between  sixty 
and  seventy  years  of  age,  dressed  in  a  blue 
jerkin  and  gray  trowsers,  without  shirt  or 
waistcoat ;  he  looked  at  me  sternl}',  and  in- 
quired in  the  French  language  what  was  my 
pleasure.  I  apologized  for  intruding  upon 
him,  and  stated  that,  being  informed  he  occu- 
pied the  situation  of  schoolmaster,  I  had  come 
to  pay  my  respects  to  him  and  to  beg  permission 
to  ask  a  few  questions  respecting  the  semina- 
ry. He  answered  that  whoever  told  me  he 
was  a  schoolmaster  lied,  for  that  he  was  a  friar 
of  the  convent  and  nothing  else.  "  It  is  not 
then  true,"  said  I,  "  that  all  the  convents  have 
been  broken  up  and  the  monks  dismissed?" 
I'  Yes,  yes,"  said  he  with  a  sigh ;  "  it  is  true ; 
it  is  but  too  true."  He  then  was  silent  for  a 
minute,  and  his  better  nature  overcoming  his 
angry  feelings,  he  produced  a  snuff-box  and 
offered  it  to  me.  The  snuff-box  is  the  olive- 
branch  of  the  Portuguese,  and  he  who  wishes 
to  be  on  good  terms  with  them  must  never  re- 
fuse to  dip  his  finger  and  thumb  into  it  when 
offered.  I  took,  therefore,  a  huge  pinch,  though 
1  detest  the  dust,  and  we  were  soon  on  the 
best  possible  terms.  He  was  eager  to  obtain 
news,  especially  from  Lisbon  and  Spain.     I 


told  him  that  the  officers  of  the  troops  at  Lis- 
bon had,  the  day  before  I  left  that  place,  gone 
in  a  body  to  the  queen  and  insisted  upon  her 
either  receiving  thc-ir  swords  or  dismissing  her 
ministers ;  whereupon  he  rubbed  his  hands, 
and  said  tiiat  he  was  sure  matters  would  not 
reaiain  tranquil  at  Lisbon.  On  my  saying, 
however,  that  I  thought  the  affairs  of  Don 
Carlos  were  on  the  decline,  (this  was  shortly 
after  the  death  of  Zumalacarreguy.)  he  frown- 
ed, and  cried  that  it  could  not  possibly  be,  for 
that  God  was  too  just  to  suffer  it.  I  felt  for 
the  poor  man  who  had  been  driven  out  of  his 
home  in  the  noble  convent  close  by.  and  from 
a  Slate  of  affluence  and  comfort  red  uced  in  his 
old  age  to  indigence  and  misery,  for  his  pre- 
sent dwelling  scarcely  seemed  to  contain 
an  article  of  furniture.  I  tried  twice  or 
thrice  to  induce  him  to  converse  about  the 
school,  but  he  either  avoided  the  subject  or 
said  shortly  that  he  knew  nothing  about  it. 
On  my  leaving  him,  the  boy  came  from  his 
hiding  place  and  rejoined  me  ;  he  said  that  he 
had  hidden  himself  through  fear  of  his  mas- 
ter's knowing  that  he  had  brought  me  to  him, 
for  that  he  was  unwilling  that  any  stranger 
should  know  that  he  was  a  schoolmaster. 

I  asked  the  boy  whether  he  or  his  parents 
were  acquainted  with  the  Scripture  and  ever 
read  it;  he  did  not,  however,  seem  to  under- 
stand me.  I  must  here  observe  that  the  boy 
was  fifteen  years  of  age,  that  he  was  in  many 
respects  very  intelligent,  and  had  some  know- 
ledge of  the  Latin  language,  nevertheless  he 
knew  not  the  Scripture  even  by  name,  and  I 
have  no  doubt,  from  what  I  subsequently  ob- 
served, that  at  least  two-thirds  of  his  coun- 
trymen are  on  that  important  point  no  wiser 
than  himself.  At  the  doors  of  village  inns, 
at  the  hearths  of  the  rustics,  in  tlie  fields 
where  they  labour,  at  the  stone  fountains  by 
the  way  side  where  they  water  their  cattle,  I 
have  questioned  the  lower  class  of  the  children 
of  Portugal  about  the  Scripture,  the  Bible,  the 
Old  and  New  Testament,  and  in  no  one  in- 
stance have  they  known  what  I  was  alluding 
to,  or  could  return  me  a  rational  answer, 
thousrh  on  all  other  matters  their  replies  were 
sensible  enough;  indeed,  nothing  surprised 
me  more  than  the  free  and  unembarrassed  man- 
ner in  which  the  Portuguese  peasantry  sustain 
a  conversation,  and  the  purity  of  the  language 
in  which  they  express  their  thoughts,  and  yet 
few  of  them  can  read  or  write;  whereas  the 
peasantry  of  England,  whose  education  is  in 
general  much  superior,  are  in  their  conversa- 
tion coarse  and  dull  almost  to  brutality,  and 
absurdly  ungrammatical  in  their  language, 
though  the  English  tongue  is  upon  the  whole 
more  simple  in  its  structure  than  the  Portu- 
guese. 

On  my  return  to  Lisbon  I  found  our  friend 

,  who  received  me  very  kindly ;  the  next 

ten  days  were  exceedingly  rainy,  which  pre- 
vented me  from  making  any  excursions  into 
the  country.  During  this  time  I  saw  our 
friend  frequently,  and  had  long  conversations 
with  him  concerning  the  best  means  of  distri- 
buting the  gospel.     He  thought  we  could  do 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


17 


no  better  for  the  present  than  to  put  part  of 
our  stock  into  the  hands  of  the  booksellers  of 
Lisbon,  and  at  the  same  employ  colporteurs 
to  hawk  the  books  about  the  streets,  receiving 
a  certain  profit  on  every  copy  they  sold.  This 
plan  was  ajrreed  upon,  and  forthwith  put  in 
practice  with  some  success.  I  had  thouohts 
of  sending  colporteurs  into  the  neighbourino; 
villages,  but  to  this  our  friend  objected.  He 
thought  the  attempt  dangerous,  as  it  was 
very  possible  that  the  rural  priesthood,  who 
still  possessed  much  influence  in  their  own 
districts,  and  who  were  for  the  most  part  de- 
cided enemies  to  the  spread  of  the  gospel, 
might  cause  the  men  employed  to  be  assassi- 
nated or  ill-treated. 

I  determined,  however,  ere  leaving  Portu- 
gal, to  establish  depots  of  Bibles  in  one  or  two 


of  the  provincial  towns.  I  wished  to  visit  the 
Alpmtpjo,  which  I  had  heard  was  a  very  be- 
nighted region.  The  Alemtejo  means  the 
province  beyond  the  Tagus.  This  province 
is  not  beautiful  and  picturesque,  like  most 
other  parts  of  Portugal ;  there  are  few  hills 
and  mountains,  the  greater  part  consists  of 
heaths  broken  by  knoHs,  and  gloomy  dingles, 
and  forests  of  stunted  pine ;  these  places  are 
infested  with  banditti.  The  principal  city  is 
Evora,  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  Portugal, 
and  formerly  the  seat  of  a  branch  of  the  In- 
quisition, yet  more  cruel  and  baneful  than  the 
terrible  one  of  Lisbon.  Evora  lies  about  sixty 
miles  from  Lisbon,  and  to  Evora  I  determined 
on  going  with  twenty  Testaments  and  two 
Bibles.  How  1  fared  there  will  presently  be 
seen. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Boatmen  of  the  Tagus— Dangers  of  the  Stream— Aldea  Gallega— The  Hostelry— Robbers— Sabo- 
cha — Adventure  of  a  Muleteer — Estalagem  de  Ladroes — Don  Geronimo — Vendas  Novas — Royal 
Residence — Swine  of  the  Alemtejo— Monte  Moro — Swayne  Vonved— Singular  Goatherd— Chil- 
dren of  the  Fields — Infidels  and  Sadducees. 


On  the  afternoon  of  'the  Cth  of  December  I 
set  out  for  Evora,  accompanied  by  my  servant. 
I  had  been  informed  that  the  tide  would  serve 
for  the  regular  passage-boats,  or  felouks,  as 
they  are  called,  at  about  four  o'clock,  but  on 
reaching  the  side  of  the  Tagus  opposite  to 
Aldea  Gallega,  between  which  place  and 
Lisbon  the  boats  ply,  I  found  that  the  tide 
would  not  permit  them  to  start  before  eight 
o'clock.  Had  I  waited  for  them  I  should 
have  probably  landed  at  Aldea  Gallega  about 
midnight,  and  I  felt  little  inclination  to  make 
my  entree  in  the  Alemtejo  at  that  hour;  there- 
fore, as  I  saw  small  boats  which  can  push  off 
at  any  time  lying  near  in  abundance,  I  deter- 
mined upon  hiring  one  of  them  for  the  pas- 
sage, though  the  expense  would  be  thus  con- 
siderably increased.  I  soon  agreed  with  a 
wild-looking  lad,  who  told  me  that  he  was  in 
part  owner  of  one  of  the  boats,  to  take  me 
over.  I  was  not  aware  of  the  danger  in  cross- 
ing the  Tagus  at  its  broadest  part,  which  is 
opposite  Aldea  Gallega,  at  any  time,  but 
especially  at  close  of  day  in  the  winter  season, 
or  1  should  certainly  not  have  ventured.  The 
lad  and  his  comrade,  a  miserable  looking  ob- 
ject, whose  only  clothing,  notwithstanding 
the  season,  was  a  tattered  jerkin  and  trousers, 
rowed  until  we  had  advanced  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  land  ;  they  then  set  up  a  large 
sail,  and  the  lad,  who  seemed  to  direct  every 
thing  and  to  be  the  principal,  took  the  helm 
and  steered.  The  evening  was  now  setting 
in ;  the  sun  was  not  far  from  its  bourne  in  tlie 
horizon,  the  air  was  very  cold,  the  wind  was 
rising,  and  the  waves  of  the  noble  Tagus  be- 
gan to  be  crested  with  foam.  I  told  the  boy 
that  it  was  scarcely  possible  for  the  boat  to 
carry  so  much  sail  without  upsetting,  upon 


which  he  laughed,  and  began  to  gabble  in  a 
most  incoherent  manner.  He  had  the  most 
harsh  and  rapid  articulation  that  has  ever  come 
under  my  observation  in  any  human  being ;  it 
was  the  scream  of  the  hyena  blended  with  the 
bark  of  the  terrier,  though  it  was  by  no  means 
an  index  of  his  disposition,  which  I  soon 
found  to  be  light,  merry,  and  any  thing  but 
malevolent,  for  when  I,  in  order  to  show  him 
that  I  cared  little  about  him,  began  to  hum 
"  Eu  que  sou  Conlrahandista,''''  he  laughed 
heartily  and  said,  clapping  me  on  the  shoul- 
der, that  he  would  not  drown  us  if  he  could 
help  it.  The  other  poor  fellow  seemed  by  no 
means  averse  to  go  to  the  bottom ;  he  sat  at 
the  fore  part  of  the  boat  looking  the  image  of 
famine,  and  only  smiled  when  the  waters  broke 
over  the  weather  side  and  soaked  his  scanty 
habiliments.  In  a  little  time  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  that  our  last  hour  was  come ;  the 
wind  was  getting  higher,  the  short  dangerous 
waves  were  more  foamy;  the  boat  was  fre- 
quently on  its  beam,  and  the  water  came  over 
the  lee  side  in  torrents;  but  still  the  wild  lad 
at  the  helm  held  on  laughing  and  chattering, 
and  occasionally  yelling  out  parts  of  the  Mi- 
guelite  air,  "  Qiiar.do  el  Rey  chegou,''^  the 
singing  of  Which  in  Lisbon  is  imprisonment. 

The  stream  was  against  us,  but  the  wind 
was  in  our  favour,  and  we  sprang  along  at  a 
wonderful  rate,  and  I  saw  that  our  only  chance 
of  escape  was  in  speedily  passing  the  farther 
bank  of  the  Tagus  where  the  biglit  or  bay  at 
the  extremity  of  which  stands  Aldea  Gallega 
commences,  for  we  should  not  then  have  to 
battle  with  the  waves  of  the  stream,  vi'hich  the 
adverse  wind  lashed  into  fury.  It  was  the 
will  of  the  Almighty  to  permit  us  speedily  to 
gain  this  shelter,  but  not  before  the  boat  was 
B  2 


18 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


nearly  filled  with  water,  and  we  were  all  wet 
to  the  skin.  At  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening  we  reached  Aldea  Gallega,  shivering 
with  cold  and  in  a  most  deplorable  plight. 

Aldea  Gallega,  or  the  Galician  Village,  (for 
the  two  words  are  Spanish,  and  have  that  sig- 
nification,) is  a  place  containing,  I  should 
think,  about  four  thousand  inhabitants.  It  was 
pitchy  dark  when  we  landed,  but  rockets  soon 
began  to  fly  about  in  all  directions,  illuming 
the  air  far  and  wide.  As  we  passed  along  the 
dirty  unpaved  street  which  leads  to  the  Largo, 
or  square  in  which  the  inn  is  situated,  a  hor- 
rible uproar  of  drums  and  voices  assailed  our 
ears.  On  inquiring  the  cause  of  all  this  bus- 
tle, I  was  informed  that  it  was  the  eve  of  the 
Conception  of  the  Virgin. 

As  it  was  not  the  custom  of  the  people  at 
the  inn  to  provide  provisions  for  the  guests,  I 
Wandered  about  in  search  of  food  ;  and  at 
Jast  seeing  some  soldiers  eating  and  drinking 
in  a  species  of  wine-house,  1  went  in  and 
asked  the  people  to  let  me  have  some  supper, 
and  in  a  short  time  they  furnished  me  with 
a  tolerable  meal,  for  which,  however,  they 
charged  three  crowns. 

Having  engaged  with  a  person  for  mules  to 
carry  us  to  Evora,  which  were  to  be  ready  at 
five  next  morning,  I  soon  retired  to  bed,  my 
servant  sleeping  in  the  same  apartment,  which 
was  the  only  one  in  the  house  vacant.  I 
closed  not  my  eyes  during  the  whole  night. 
Beneath  us  was  a  stable,  in  which  some  al- 
mocreves,  or  carriers,  slept  with  their  mules ; 
at  our  back,  in  the  yard,  was  a  pigsty.  How 
could  I  sleep  ?  The  hogs  grunted,  the  mules 
screamed,  and  the  almocreves  snored  most 
horribly.  I  heard  the  village  clock  strike 
the  hours  until  midnight,  and  from  midnight 
till  four  in  the  morning,  when  I  sprang  up  and 
began  to  dress,  and  despatched  my  servant  to 
hasten  the  man  with  the  mules,  for  I  was 
heartily  tired  of  the  place  and  wanted  to  leave 
it.  An  old  man,  bony  and  hale,  accompanied 
by  a  barefooted  lad,  brought  the  beasts,  which 
were  tolerably  good.  He  was  the  proprietor 
of  them,  and  intended,  with  the  lad,  who  was 
his  nephew,  to  accompany  us  to  Evora. 

When  we  started,  the  moon  was  shining 
brightly,  and  the  morning  was  piercingly  cold. 
We  soon  entered  on  a  sandy  hollow  way, 
emerging  from  which  we  passed  by  a  strange 
looking  and  large  edifice,  standing  on  a  high 
bleak  sand-hill  on  our  left.  We  were  speedi- 
ly overtaken  by  five  or  six  men  on  horseback, 
riding  at  a  rapid  pace,  each  with  a  long  gun 
slung  at  his  saddle,  the  muzzle  depending 
about  two  feet  below  the  horse's  belly.  I  in- 
quired of  the  old  man  what  was  the  reason  of 
this  warlike  array.  He  answered,  that  the 
roads  were  very  bad,  (meaning  that  they 
abounded  with  robbers,)  and  that  they  went 
armed  in  this  manner  for  their  defence  ;  they 
soon  turned  off  to  the  right  towards  Palmella. 

We  reached  a  sandy  plain  studded  with 
stunted  pine ;  the  road  was  little  more  than  a 
footpath,  and  as  we  proceeded,  the  trees  thick- 
ened and  became  a  wood,  which  extended  for 
two  leagues,  with  clear  spaces  at  intervals, 


in  which  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  were  feed- 
ing; the  bells  attached  to  their  necks  were 
ringing  lowly  and  monotonously.  The  sun 
was  just  beginning  to  show  itself;  but  the 
morning  was  misty  and  dreary,  which  toge- 
ther with  the  aspect  of  desolation  which  the 
country  exhibited,  had  an  unfavourable  effect 
on  my  spirits.  1  got  down  and  walked,  enter- 
ing into  conversation  with  the  old  man.  He 
seemed  to  have  but  one  theme,  "  the  robbers," 
and  the  atrocities  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
practising  in  the  very  spots  we  were  passing. 
The  tales  he  told  were  truly  horrible,  and  to 
avoid  them  I  mounted  again,  and  rode  on  con- 
siderably in  front. 

In  about  an  hour  and  a  half  we  emerged 
from  the  forest,  and  entered  upon  a  savage, 
wild,  broken  ground,  covered  with  mato,  or 
brushwood.  The  mules  stopped  to  drink  at  a 
shallow  pool,  and  on  looking  to  the  right  I 
saw  a  ruined  wall.  This,  the  guide  informed 
me,  was  the  remains  of  V^endas  Velhas,  or  the 
Old  Inn,  formerly  the  haunt  of  the  celebrated 
robber  Sabocha.  This  Sabocha,  it  seems, 
had,  some  sixteen  years  ago,  a  band  of  about 
forty  ruflians  at  his  command,  who  infested 
these  wilds,  and  supported  themselves  by 
plunder.  For  a  considerable  time  Sabocha 
pursued  his  atrocious  trade  unsuspected,  and 
many  an  unfortunate  traveller  was  murdered 
in  the  dead  of  night  at  the  solitary  inn  by  the 
wood-side,  which  he  kept;  indeed,  a  more  fit 
situation  for  plunder  and  murder  I  never  saw. 
The  gang  were  in  the  habit  of  watering  their 
horses  at  the  pool,  and  perhaps  of  washing 
therein  their  hands  stained  with  the  blood  of 
their  victims;  the  lieutenant  of  the  troop  was 
the  brother  of  Sabocha,  a  fellow  of  great 
strength  and  ferocity,  particularly  famous  for 
the  skill  he  possessed  in  darting  a  long  knife, 
with  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  transfixing 
his  opponents.  Sabocha's  connexion  with 
the  gang  at  length  became  known,  and  he  fied, 
with  the  greater  part  of  his  associates,  across 
the  Tagus  to  the  northern  provinces.  Him- 
self and  his  brothers  eventually  lost  their  lives 
on  the  road  to  Coimbra,  in  an  engagement 
with  the  military.  His  house  was  razed  by 
order  of  the  government. 

The  ruins  are  still  frequently  visited  by  ban- 
ditti, who  eat  and  drink  amidst  them,  and 
look  out  for  prey,  as  the  place  commands  a 
view  of  the  road.  The  old  man  assured  me, 
that  about  two  months  previous,  on  returning 
to  Aldea  Gallega  with  his  mules  from  ac- 
companying some  travellers,  he  had  been 
knocked  down,  stripped  naked,  and  all  his 
money  taken  from  him,  by  a  fellow  whom  he 
believed  came  from  this  murderer's  nest.  He 
said  that  he  was  an  exceedingly  powerful 
young  man,  with  immense  mustaches  and 
whiskers,  and  was  armed  with  an  espingarda, 
or  musket.  About  ten  days  subsequently  h© 
saw  the  robber  at  Vendas  Novas,  where  we 
should  pass  the  night.  The  fellow  on  recog- 
nising him  took  him  aside,  and,  with  horrid 
imprecations,  threatened  that  he  should  never 
be  permitted  to  return  home  if  he  attempted 
to  discover  him ;  he  therefore  held  his  peace. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


ir 


as  there  was  little  to  be  gained  and  every  thing 
to  be  risked  in  apprehendincr  him,  as  he  would 
have  been  speedily  set  at  liberty  for  want  of 
evidence  to  criminate  him,  and  then  he  would 
not  have  failed  to  have  had  his  revenge,  or 
•would  have  been  anticipated  therein  by  his 
comrades. 

I  dismounted  and  went  up  to  the  place,  and 
saw  the  vestiges  of  a  fire  and  a  broken  bottle. 
The  sons  of  plunder  had  been  there  very  late- 
ly. I  left  a  New  Testament  and  some  tracts 
amongst  the  ruins,  and  hastened  away. 

The  sun  had  dispelled  the  mists  and  was 
beaming  very  hot;  we  rode  on  for  about  an 
hour,  when  I  heard  the  neighing  of  a  horse  in 
our  rear,  and  our  guide  said  there  was  a  party 
of  horsemen  behind ;  our  mules  were  good, 
and  they  did  not  overtake  us  for  at  least 
twenty  minutes.  The  headmost  rider  was  a 
gentleman  in  a  fashionable  travelling  dress; 
a  little  way  behind  were  an  officer,  two  sol- 
diers, and  a  boy  in  livery.  I  heard  the  princi- 
pal horseman,  on  overtaking  my  servant,  in- 
quiring who  I  was,  and  whether  French  or 
English.  He  was  told  I  was  an  English  gen- 
tleman, travelling.  He  then  asked  whether 
1  understood  Portuguese ;  the  man  said  I  un- 
derstood it,  but  he  believed  that  I  spoke  French 
and  Italian  better.  The  gentleman  then  spur- 
red on  his  horse  and  accosted  me,  not  in  Por- 
tuguese, nor  in  French  or  Italian,  but  in  the 
purest  English  that  I  ever  heard  spoken  by  a 
foreigner;  it  had,  indeed,  nothing  of  foreign 
accent  or  pronunciation  in  it;  and  had  I  not 
known,  by  the  countenance  of  the  speaker,  that 
he  was  no  Englishman,  (for  there  is  a  pecu- 
liarity in  the  countenance,  as  everybody 
knows,  which,  though  it  cannot  be  described, 
is  sure  to  betray  the  Englishman,)  I  should 
have  concluded  that  I  was  in  company  with  a 
countryman.  We  continued  discoursing  until 
we  arrived  at  Pegoens. 

Pegoens  consists  of  about  two  or  three 
houses  and  an  inn  ;  there  is  likewise  a  species 
of  barrack,  where  half  a  dozen  soldiers  are 
stationed.  In  the  whole  of  Portugal  there  is 
no  place  of  worse  reputation,  and  the  inn  is 
nicknamed  Eslalagem  de  Ladroes,  or  the  hos- 
telry of  thieves ;  for  it  is  there  that  the  banditti 
of  the  wilderness,  which  extends  around  it  on 
every  side  for  leagues,  are  in  the  habit  of 
coming  and  spending  the  money,  the  fruits  of 
their  criminal  daring;  there  they  dance  and 
sing,  eat  fricasseed  rabbits  and  olives,  and 
drink  the  muddy  but  strong  wine  of  the 
Alemtejo.  An  enormous  fire,  fed  by  the  trunk 
of  a  cork  tree,  was  blazing  in  a  niche  on  the 
left  hand  on  entering  the  spacious  kitchen. 
Close  by  it,  seething,  were  several  large  jars, 
which  emitted  no  disagreeable  odour,  and  re- 
minded me  that  I  had  not  broken  my  fast, 
although  it  was  now  nearly  one  o'clock,  and 
I  had  ridden  five  leagues.  Several  wild  look- 
ing men,  who  if  they  were  not  banditti  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  such,  were  seated  on 
lOgs  about  the  fire.  I  asked  them  some  un- 
important questions,  to  which  they  replied 
with  readiness  and  civility,  and  cue  of  them, 


who  said  he  could  read,  accepted  a  tract 
which  I  offered  him. 

My  new  friend,  who  had  been  bespeaking 
dinner,  or  rather  breakfast,  now,  with  great 
civility,  invited  me  to  partake  of  it,  and  at  the 
same  time  introduced  me  to  the  officer  who 
accompanied  him,  and  who  was  his  brother, 
and  also  spoke  English,  though  not  so  well 
as  himself.  I  found  I  had  become  acquainted 
with  Don  Geronimo  Joze  D'Azveto,  secre- 
tary to  the  government  at  Evora;  his  brother 
belonged  to  a  regiment  of  hussars,  whose 
head-quarters  were  at  Evora,  but  which  had 
outlying  parties  along  the  road, — for  example, 
the  place  where  we  were  stopping. 

Rabbits  at  Pegoens  seem  to  be  a  standard 
article  of  food,  being  produced  in  abundance 
on  the  moors  around.  We  had  one  fried,  the 
gravy  of  which  was  delicious,  and  afterwards 
a  roasted  one,  which  was  brought  up  on  a 
dish  entire ;  the  hostess,  having  first  washed 
her  hands,  proceeded  to  tear  the  animal  to 
pieces,  which  having  accomplished,  she  pour- 
ed over  the  fragments  a  sweet  sauce.  I  ate 
heartily  of  both  dishes,  particularly  of  the 
last;  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  novel  and  curi- 
ous manner  in  which  it  was  served  up.  Ex- 
cellent figs,  from  the  Algarves,  and  apples 
concluded  our  repast,  which  we  ate  in  a  little 
side  room  with  a  mud  floor,  which  sent  such 
a  piercing  chill  into  my  system,  as  prevented 
me  from  deriving  that  pleasure  from  my  fare 
and  my  agreeable  companions  that  I  should 
have  otherwise  experienced. 

Don  Geronimo  had  been  educated  in  Eng- 
land, in  which  country  he  passed  his  boy- 
hood, which  in  a  certain  degree  accounted  for 
his  proficiency  in  the  English  language,  the 
idiom  and  pronunciation  of  which  can  only  be 
acquired  by  residing  in  the  country  at  that 
period  of  one's  life.  He  had  also  fled  thither 
shortly  after  the  usurpation  of  the  throne  of 
Portugal  by  Don  Miguel,  and  from  thence  had 
departed  to  the  Brazils,  where  he  had  devoted 
himself  to  the  service  of  Don  Pedro,  and  had 
followed  him  in  the  expedition  which  termi- 
nated in  the  downfall  of  the  usurper  and  the 
establishment  of  the  constitutional  govern- 
ment in  Portugal.  Our  conversation  rolled 
chiefly  on  literary  and  political  subjects,  and 
my  acquaintance  with  the  writings  of  the 
most  celebrated  authors  of  Portugal  was  hail- 
ed with  surprise  and  delight;  for  nothing  is 
more  gratifying  to  a  Portuguese  than  to  ob- 
serve a  foreigner  taking  an  interest  in  the 
literature  of  his  nation,  of  which,  in  many  re- 
spects, he  is  justly  proud. 

At  about  two  o'clock  we  were  once  more 
in  the  saddle,  and  pursued  our  way  in  com- 
pany through  a  country  exactly  resembling 
that  which  we  had  previously  been  traverssing, 
rugged  and  broken,  with  here  and  there  a 
clump  of  pines.  The  afternoon  was  exceed- 
ingly fine,  and  the  bright  rays  of  the  sun  re- 
lieved the  desolation  of  the  scene.  Having 
advanced  about  two  leagues,  we  caught  sight 
of  a  large  edifice  towering  majestically  in  the 
distance,  which  I  learnt  was  a  royal  palace 


20 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


standing  at  the  farther  extremity  of  Vendas 
Novas,  the  villacje  in  which  we  were  to  pass 
the  night;  it  was  considerably  more  than  a 
league  from  us,  yet,  seen  through  the  clear 
transparent  atmosphere  of  Portugal,  it  ap- 
peared much  nearer. 

Before  reaching  it  we  passed  by  a  stone 
cross,  on  the  pedestal  of  which  was  an  in- 
scription commemorating  a  horrible  murder 
of  a  native  of  Lisbon,  which  had  occurred  on 
that  spot ;  it  looked  ancient,  and  was  covered 
•with  moss,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  inscrip- 
tion was  illegible,  at  least  it  was  to  me,  who 
could  not  bestow  much  time  on  its  decipher- 
ing. Having  arrived  at  Vendas  Novas,  and 
bespoken  supper,  my  new  friend  and  myself 
strolled  forth  to  view  the  palace;  it  was  built 
by  the  late  king  of  Portugal,  and  presents  lit- 
tle that  is  remarkable  in  its  exterior;  it  is 
a  long  edifice  with  wings,  and  is  only  two 
stories  high,  though  it  can  be  seen  afar  off 
from  being  situated  on  elevated  ground;  it 
has  fifteen  windows  in  the  upper,  and  twelve 
in  the  lower  story,  with  a  paltry-looking  door, 
something  like  that  of  a  barn,  to  which  you 
ascend  by  one  single  step ;  the  interior  cor- 
responds with  the  exterior,  offering  nothing 
which  can  gratify  curiosity,  if  we  except  the 
kitchens,  which  are  indeed  magnificent,  and 
so  large  that  food  enough  might  be  cooked  in 
them,  at  one  time,  to  serve  as  a  repast  for  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Alemtejo. 

I  passed  the  night  with  great  comfort  in  a 
clean  bed,  remote  from  all  those  noises  so  rife 
in  a  Portuguese  inn,  and  the  next  morning  at 
six  we  again  set  out  on  our  journey,  which 
we  hoped  to  terminate  before  sunset,  as  Evora 
is  but  ten  leagues  from  Vendas  Novas.  The 
preceding  morning  had  been  cold,  but  the  pre- 
sent one  was  far  colder,  so  much  so,  that  just 
before  sunrise  I  could  no  longer  support  it  on 
horseback,  and  therefore  dismounting,  ran 
and  walked  until  we  reached  a  few  houses  at 
the  termination  of  these  desolate  moors.  It 
was  in  one  of  these  houses  that  the  commis- 
sioners of  Don  Pedro  and  Miguel  met,  and  it 
was  there  agreed  that  the  latter  should  resign 
the  crown  in  favour  of  Donna  Maria,  for 
Evora  was  the  last  stronghold  of  the  usurper, 
and  the  moors  of  the  Alemtejo  the  last  area 
of  the  combats  which  so  long  agitated  un- 
happy Portugal.  I  therefore  gazed  on  the 
miserable  huts  with  considerable  interest,  and 
did  not  fail  to  scatter  in  the  neighbourhood 
several  of  the  precious  little  tracts  with 
which,  together  with  a  small  quantity  of  Tes- 
taments, my  carpet  bag  was  provided. 

The  country  began  to  improve;  the  savage 
heaths  were  left  behind,  and  we  saw  hills  and 
dales,  cork  trees,  and  azinheiras,  on  the  last 
of  which  trees  grows  that  kind  of  sweet  acorn 
called  bolotas,  which  is  pleasant  as  a  chest- 
nut, and  which  supplies  in  winter  the  princi- 
pal food  on  which  the  numerous  swine  of  the 
Alemtejo  subsist.  Gallant  swine  they  are, 
with  short  legs  and  portly  bodies  of  a  black 
or  dark-red  colour;  and  for  the  excellence  of 
their  tiesh  I  can  vouch,  having  frequently  luxu- 
riated upon  it  in  the  course  of  ray  wanderings 


in  this  province;  the  lombo,  or  loin,  when 
broiled  on  the  live  embers,  is  delicious,  espe- 
cially when  eaten  with  olives. 

We  were  now  in  sight  of  Monte  Moro, 
which,  as  the  name  denotes,  was  once  a  fort- 
ress of  the  Moors;  it  is  a  high,  steep  hill,  on 
the  summit  and  sides  of  which  are  ruined 
walls  and  towers;  at  its  western  side  is  a 
deep  ravine  or  valley,  through  \<fliich  a  small 
stream  rushes,  traversed  by  a  stone  bridge; 
farther  down  there  is  a  ford,  over  which  we 
passed  and  ascended  to  the  town,  which,  com- 
mencing near  the  northern  base,  passes  over 
the  lower  ridge  towards  the  north-east.  The 
town  is  exceedingly  picturesque,  and  many 
of  the  houses  are  very  ancient,  and  built  in 
the  Moorish  fashion.  I  wished  much  to  exa- 
mine the  relics  of  Moorish  sway  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  mountain,  but  time  pressed,  and 
the  short  period  of  our  stay  at  this  place  did 
not  permit  me  to  gratify  my  inclination. 

Monte  Moro  is  the  head  of  a  range  of  hills 
which  cross  this  part  of  the  Aleintejo,  and 
from  hence  they  fork  east  and  south-east, 
towards  the  former  of  which  directions  lies 
the  direct  road  to  Elvas,  Badajoz,  and  Madrid ; 
and  towards  the  latter  that  to  Evora.  A  beau- 
tiful mountain,  covered  to  the  top  with  cork 
trees,  is  the  third  of  the  chain,  which  skirts 
the  way  in  the  direction  of  Elvas.  Jt  is  called 
Monte  Almo;  a  brook  brawls  at  its  base,  and 
as  I  passed  it  the  sun  was  shining  gloriously 
on  the  green  herbage  on  which  flocks  of  goats 
were  feeding,  with  their  bells  rinsjing  merrily, 
so  that  the  tout  ensetnble  resembled  a  fairy 
scene;  and,  that  nothing  might  be  wanted  to 
complete  the  picture,  I  here  met  a  man,  a 
goatherd,  beneath  an  azinheira,  whose  appear- 
ance recalled  to  my  mind  the  Brute  Carle, 
mentioned  in  the  Danish  ballad  of  Swayne 
V^onved : — 
"A  wild  swine  on  his  shoulders  he  kept, 

And  upon  his  bosom  a  black  bear  slept ; 

And  about  iiis  fingers,  with  hair  o'erhung, 

The  squirrel  sported  and  weasel  clung." 

Upon  the  shoulder  of  the  goatherd  was  a 
beast,  which  he  told  me  was  a  lontra,  or  otter, 
which  he  had  lately  caught  in  the  neighbour- 
ing brook ;  it  had  a  string  round  its  neck, 
which  was  attached  to  his  arm.  At  his  left 
side  was  a  bag,  from  the  top  of  which  peered 
the  heads  of  two  or  three  singular-looking 
animals,  and  at  his  right  was  squatted  the 
sullen  cub  of  a  wolf,  which  he  was  endeavour- 
ing to  tame;  his  whole  appearance  was  to  the 
last  degree  savage  and  wild.  After  a  little 
conversation,  such  as  those  who  meet  on  the 
road  frequently  hold,  I  asked  him  if  he  could 
read,  but  he  made  me  no  answer.  I  then  in- 
quired if  he  knew  any  thing  of  God  or  Jesus 
Christ;  he  looked  me  fixedly  in  the  face  for 
a  moment,  and  then  turned  his  countenance 
towards  the  sun,  which  was  beginning  to  sink 
in  the  west,  nodded  to  it,  and  then  again 
looked  fixedly  upon  me.  I  believe  that  I  un- 
derstood the  mute  reply,  which  probably  was, 
that  it  was  God  who  made  that  glorious  light 
which  illumes  and  gladdens  all  creation;  and, 
gratified  with  that  belief,  1  left  him  and  has- 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


tened  after  my  companions,  who  were  by  this 
time  a  considerable  way  in  advance. 

I  have  always  found  in  the  disposition  of 
the  children  of  the  fields  a  more  determined 
tendency  to  religion  and  piety  than  amongst 
the  inhabitants  of  towns  and  cities ;  and  the 
reason  is  obvious,  they  are  less  acquainted 
with  the  works  of  man's  hands  than  with 
those  of  God;  their  occupations,  too,  which 
are  simple,  and  requiring  less  of  ingenuity 
and  skill  than  those  which  engage  the  atten- 
tion of  the  other  portion  of  their  fellow-crea- 
tures, are  less  favourable  to  the  engendering 
of  self-conceit  and  sufficiency,  so  utterly  at 
variance  with  that  lowliness  of  spirit  which 
constitutes  the  best  foundation  of  piety.  The 
sneerers  and  scofl^ers  at  religion  do  not  spring 
from  amongst  the  simple  children  of  nature, 
but  are  the  excrescences  of  overwrought  refine- 
ment; and  though  their  baneful  influence  has 
indeed  penetrated  to  the  country  and  corrupted 
man  there,  the  source  and  fountain-head  was 
amongst  crowded  houses,  where  nature  is 
scarcely  known.  I  am  not  one  of  those  who 
look  for  perfection  amongst  the  rural  popula- 
tion of  any  country ;  perfection  is  not  to  be 
found  amongst  the  children  of  the  fall,  wher- 
ever their  abodes  may  happen  to  be ;  but,  until 
the  heart  discredits  the  existence  of  a  God, 
there  is  still  hope  for  the  soul  of  the  possessor, 
however  stained  with  crime  he  may  be,  for 
even  Simon  the  magician  was  converted ;  but 


when  the  heart  is  once  steeled  with  infidelity, 
infidelity  confirmed  by  carnal  wisdom,  an  exu- 
berance of  the  grace  of  God  is  required  to  melt 
it,  which  is  seldom  manifested  ;  for  we  read 
in  the  blessed  Book  that  the  Pharisee  and  the 
wizard  became  receptacles  of  grace ;  but 
where  is  there  mention  made  of  the  conversion 
of  the  sneering  Sadducee?  and  is  the  modern 
infidel  aught  but  a  Sadducee  of  later  date? 

It  was  dark  night  before  we  reached  Evora ; 
and  having  taken  leave  of  my  friends,  who 
kindly  requested  me  to  consider  their  house 
my  home,  I  and  my  servant  went  to  the  Largo 
de  San  Francisco,  in  which  the  muleteer  in- 
formed me  was  the  best  hostelry  of  the  town. 
We  rode  into  the  kitchen,  at  the  extreme  end 
of  which  was  the  stable,  as  is  customary  in 
Portugal.  The  house  was  kept  by  an  aged 
gipsy-like  female  and  her  daughter,  a  fine, 
blooming  girl,  about  eighteen  years  of  age. 
The  house  was  large;  in  the  upper  story  was 
a  very  long  room,  like  a  granary,  which  ex- 
tended nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  house; 
the  farther  part  was  partitioned  oflT,  and  formed 
a  chamber,  tolerably  comfortable,  but  very 
cold,  and  the  floor  was  of  tiles,  as  was  also 
that  of  the  large  room  in  which  the  muleteers 
were  accustomed  to  sleep  on  the  furniture  of 
the  mules.  After  supper  I  went  to  bed  ;  and 
having  offered  up  my  devotions  to  Him  who 
had  protected  me  through  a  dangerous  journey, 
1  slept  soundly  till  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Shopkeeper  at  Evora — Spanish  Contrabandistas — Lion  and  Unicorn — The  Fountain — Trust  in  the 
Almighty — Distribution  of  Tracts — Library  at  Evora — Manuscript — The  Bible  as  a  Guide — The 
infamous  Mary — The  Man  of  Palmella — The  Charm — The  Monkish  System — Sunday — Volney 
—An  Auto-da-Fe — Men  from  Spain — Reading  of  a  Tract — New  Arrival — The  Herb  Rosemary. 


Evora  is  a  small  city,  walled,  but  not 
regularly  fortified,  and  could  not  sustain  a 
siege  of  a  day.  It  has  five  gates;  before 
that  to  the  south-west  is  the  principal 
promenade  of  its  inhabitants ;  the  fair  on  St, 
John's  Day  is  likewise  held  there;  the 
houses  are  in  general  very  ancient,  and  many 
of  them  unoccupied.  It  contains  about  five 
thousand  inhabitants,  though  twice  that  num- 
ber would  be  by  no  means  disproportionate 
to  its  size.  The  two  principal  edifices  are 
the  See,  or  cathedral,  and  the  convent  of  San 
Francisco,  in  the  square  before  the  latter  of 
which  was  situated  the  posada  where  I  had 
taken  up  my  abode.  A  large  barrack  for 
cavalry  stands  on  the  right-hand  side,  on  en- 
tering the  south-west  gate.  To  the  south-east, 
at  the  distance  of  six  leagues,  is  to  be  seen 
a  blue  chain  of  hills,  the  highest  of  which  is 
called  Serra  Dorso;  it  is  picturesquely  beau- 
tiful, and  contains  within  its  recesses  wolves 
and  wild  boars  in  numbers.  About  a  league 
and  a  half  on  the  other  side  of  this  hill  is 
Estremos. 

I  passed  the  day  succeeding  my  arrival 


principally  in  examining  the  town  and  its  en- 
virons, and  as  I  strolled  about,  entered  into 
conversation  with  various  people  that  I  met ; 
several  of  these  were  of  the  middle  class, 
shopkeepers  and  professional  men ;  they  were 
all  Constitutionalists,  or  pretended  to  be  so, 
but  had  very  little  to  say  except  a  few  com- 
monplace remarks  on  the  way  of  living  of 
the  friars,  their  hypocrisy  and  laziness.  I 
endeavoured  to  obtain  some  information  re- 
specting the  state  of  instruction  in  the  place, 
and  from  their  answers  was  led  to  believe 
thatit  must  be  at  thelowest  ebb,  for  it  se«med 
that  there  was  neither  bookshop  nor  school. 
When  I  spoke  of  religion,  they  exhibited  the 
utmost  apathy  for  the  subject,  and  making 
their  bows  left  me  as  soon  as  possible. 

Having  a  letter  of  introduction  to  a  person 
who  kept  a  shop  in  the  market-place,  I  went 
thither  and  delivered  it  to  him  as  he  stood 
behind  his  counter.  In  the  course  of  conver- 
sation, I  found  that  he  had  been  much  perse- 
cuted whilst  the  old  system  was  in  its  vigour, 
and  that  he  entertained  a  hearty  aversion  for 
it.     I  told  him  that  the  ignorance  of  the  peo- 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


pie  in  reli^ous  matters  had  served  to  nurse 
that  system,  and  that  the  surest  way  to  pre- 
vent its  return  was  to  enlighten  their  minds ; 
I  added,  that  I  had  brought  a  small  stock  of 
Bibles  and  Testaments  to  Evora,  which  I 
■wished  to  leave  for  sale  in  the  hands  of  some 
respectable  merchant,  and  that  if  he  were 
anxious  to  help  to  lay  the  axe  to  the  root  of 
superstition  and  tyranny,  he  could  not  do  so 
more  eflectually  than  by  undertaking  the 
charge  of  these  books.  He  declared  his  will- 
ingness to  do  so,  and  I  went  away  determined 
to  intrust  to  him  half  of  my  stock.  I  re- 
turned to  the  hostelry,  and  sat  down  on  a  log 
of  wood  on  the  hearth  within  the  immense 
chimney  in  the  common  apartment;  two 
surly-looking  men  were  on  their  knees  on  the 
stones;  before  them  was  a  large  heap  of 
pieces  of  old  iron,  brass,  and  copper;  they 
were  assorting  it,  and  stowing  it  away  in  va- 
rious bags.  They  were  Spanish  contraband- 
istas  of  the  lowest  class,  and  earned  a  mise- 
rable livelihood  by  smuggling  such  rubbish 
from  Portugal  into  Spain.  Not  a  word  pro- 
ceeded from  their  lips,  and  when  I  addressed 
them  in  their  native  language,  they  returned 
no  other  answer  than  a  kind  of  growl.  They 
looked  as  dirty  and  rusty  as  the  iron  in  which 
they  trafficked ;  their  four  miserable  donkeys 
were  in  the  stable  in  the  rear. 

The  woman  of  the  house  and  her  daughter 
were  exceedingly  civil  to  me,  and  coming 
near  crouched  down,  asking  various  questions 
about  England.  A  man,  dressed  somewhat 
like  an  English  sailor,  who  sat  on  the  other 
side  of  the  hearth  confronting  me,  said, "  I  hate 
the  English,  for  they  are  not  baptized,  and 
have  not  the  law,"  meaning  the  law  of  God. 
I  laughed,  and  told  him  that  according  to  the 
law  of  England,  no  one  who  was  unbaptized 
could  be  buried  in  consecrated  ground;  where- 
upon he  said,  "Then  you  are  stricter  than 
we."  He  then  said,  "  What  is  meant  by  the 
lion  and  the  unicorn  which  I  saw  the  other 
day  on  the  coat  of  arms  over  the  door  of  the 
English  Consul  at  St.  Ubes?"  I  said  they 
■were  the  arms  of  England !  "  Yes,"  he  re- 
plied, "but  what  do  they  represent]"  I  said 
I  did  not  know.  "Then,"  said  he,  "you  do 
not  know  the  secrets  of  your  own  house."  I 
said,  "  Suppose  I  were  to  tell  you  that  they 
represent  the  Lion  of  Bethlehem,  and  the 
homed  monster  of  the  flaming  pit  in  combat, 
as  to  which  should  obtain  the  mastery  in  Eng- 
land, what  would  you  say  V  He  replied,  "  I 
should  say  that  you  gave  a  fair  answer." 
This  man  and  myself  became  great  friends ; 
he  came  from  Palmella,  not  far  from  St.  Ubes ; 
he  had  several  mules  and  horses  with  him, 
and  dealt  in  com  and  barley.  I  again  walked 
out  and  roamed  in  the  environs  of  the  town. 

About  half  a  mile  from  the  southern  wall 
is  a  stone  fountain,  where  the  muleteers  and 
other  people  who  visit  the  town  are  accus- 
tomed to  water  their  horses.  I  sat  down  by 
it,  and  there  I  remained  about  two  hours,  en- 
tering into  conversation  with  every  one  who 
halted  at  the  fountain;  and  I  will  here  ob- 
serve, that  during  the  time  of  my  sojourn  at 


Evora,  I  repeated  my  ■nsit  every  day,  and 
remained  there  the  same  time;  and  by  fol- 
lowing this  plan,  I  believe  that  I  spoke  to  at 
least  two  hundred  of  the  children  of  Portugal 
upon  matters  relating  to  their  eternal  welfare. 
I  found  that  very  few  of  those  whom  I  ad- 
dressed had  received  any  species  of  literary 
education,  none  of  them  had  seen  the  Bible, 
and  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  had  the  slight- 
est inkling  of  what  the  holy  book  consisted. 
I  found  that  most  of  them  were  bigoted  Pa- 
pists, and  Miguelites  at  heart.  I  therefore, 
when  they  told  me  they  were  Christians,  de- 
nied the  possibility  of  their  being  so,  as  they 
were  ignorant  of  Christ  and  his  command- 
ments, and  placed  their  hope  of  salvation  on 
outward  forms  and  superstitious  observances, 
which  were  the  invention  of  Satan,  who 
wished  to  keep  them  in  darkness,  that  at  last 
they  might  stumble  into  the  pit  which  he  had 
dug  for  them.  1  said  repeatedly  that  the 
Pope,  whom  they  revered,  was  an  arch  de- 
ceiver, and  the  head  minister  of  Satan  here  on 
earth,  and  that  the  monks  and  friars,  whose 
absence  they  so  deplored,  and  to  whom  they 
had  been  accustomed  to  confess  themselves, 
were  his  subordinate  agents.  When  called 
upon  for  proofs,  I  invariably  cited  the  igno- 
rance of  my  auditors  respecting  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  said  that  if  their  spiritual  guides 
had  been  really  ministers  of  Christ,  they 
would  not  have  permitted  their  flocks  to  re- 
main unacquainted  with  his  word 

Since  this  occurred,  I  have  been  frequently 
surprised  that  I  experienced  no  insult  and  ill- 
treatment  from  the  people,  whose  supersti- 
tions I  was  thus  attacking;  but  I  really  ex- 
perienced none,  and  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  the  utter  fearlessness  which  I  displayed, 
trusting  in  the  protection  of  the  Almighty, 
may  have  been  the  cause.  When  threatened 
by  danger,  the  best  policy  is  to  fix  your  eye 
steadily  upon  it,  and  it  will  in  general  vanish 
like  the  morning  mist  before  the  sun ;  where- 
as, if  you  quail  before  it,  it  is  sure  to  become 
more  imminent.  I  have  fervent  hope  that 
the  words  of  my  mouth  sank  deep  into  the 
hearts  of  some  of  my  auditors,  as  I  observed 
many  of  them  depart  musing  and  pensive.  I 
occasionally  distributed  tracts  amongst  them ; 
for  although  they  themselves  were  unable  to 
turn  them  to  much  account,  I  thought  that 
by  their  means  they  miirht  become  of  service 
at  some  future  time,  and  fall  into  the  hands 
of  others,  to  whom  they  mi^ht  be  of  etemal 
interest.  Many  a  book  which  is  abandoned 
to  the  waters  is  wafted  to  some  remote  shore, 
and  there  proves  a  blessing  and  a  comfort  to 
millions,  who  are  ignorant  from  whence  it 
came. 

The  next  day,  which  was  Friday,  I  called 
at  the  house  of  my  friend  Don  Geronimo 
Azveto.  I  did  not  find  him  there,  but  was 
directed  to  the  see,  or  episcopal  palace,  in  an 
apartment  of  which  I  found  him,  writing, 
with  another  gentleman,  to  whom  he  intro- 
duced me;  it  was  the  governor  of  Evora, 
who  welcomed  me  with  every  mark  of  kind- 
ness and  aflfability.    After  some  discourse, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


we  went  out  together  to  examine  an  ancient 
edifice,  which  was  reported  to  have  served, 
in  by-gone  times,  as  a  temple  to  Diana. 
Part  of  it  was  evidently  of  Roman  architec- 
ture, for  there  was  no  mistaking  the  beautiful 
light  pillars  which  supported  a  dome,  under 
which  the  sacrifices  to  the  most  captivating 
and  poetical  divinity  of  the  heathen  theo- 
cracy had  probably  been  made ;  but  the  ori- 
ginal space  between  the  pillars  had  been 
filled  up  with  rubbish  of  a  modem  date,  and 
the  rest  of  the  building  was  apparently  of  the 
architecture  of  the  latter  end  of  the  middle 
ages.  It  was  situated  at  one  end  of  the 
building  which  had  once  been  the  seat  of  the 
Inquisition,  and  had  served,  before  the  erec- 
tion of  the  present  see,  as  the  residence  of  the 
bishop. 

Within  the  see,  where  the  governor  now 
resides,  is  a  superb  library,  occupying  an  im- 
mense vaulted  room,  like  the  aisle  of  a  cathe- 
dral, and  in  a  side  apartment  is  a  collection 
of  paintings  by  Portuguese  artists,  chiefly 
portraits,  amongst  which  is  that  of  Don  Se- 
bastian. I  sincerely  hope  it  did  not  do  him 
justice,  for  it  represents  him  in  the  shape  of 
an  awkward  lad  of  about  eighteen,  with  a 
bloated  booby  face  with  staring  eyes,  and  a 
ruff  round  a  short  apoplectic  neck. 

I  was  shown  several  beautifully  illumi- 
nated missals  and  other  manuscripts ;  but  the 
one  which  most  arrested  my  attention,  I 
scarcely  need  say  why,  was  that  which  bore 
the  following  title : — 

"  Forma  sive  ordinatio  Capelli  illustrissimi 
et  xianissimi  principis  Henrici  Sexti  Regis 
Anglie  et  Francie  am  dm  Hibernie  descripta 
serenissio  principi  Alfonso  Regi  Portugalie 
illustri  per  humilem  servitorem  sin  Willm. 
Sav.  Decanii  capelle  supradicte." 

It  seemed  a  voice  from  the  olden  times  of 
my  dear  native  land !  This  library  and  pic- 
ture gallery  had  been  formed  by  one  of  the 
latter  bishops,  a  person  of  much  learning  and 
piety. 

In  the  evening  I  dined  with  Don  Gero- 
nimo  and  his  brother ;  the  latter  soon  left  us 
to  attend  to  his  military  duties.  My  friend 
and  myself  had  now  much  conversation  of 
considerable  interest;  he  lamented  the  de- 
plorable state  of  ignorance  in  which  his 
countrymen  existed  at  present.  He  said  that 
his  friend  the  governor  and  himself  were 
endeavouring  to  establish  a  school  in  the  vi- 
cinity, and  that  they  had  made  application  to 
the  government  for  the  use  of  an  empty  con- 
vent, called  the  Espinheiro,  or  thorn  tree,  at 
about  a  league's  distance,  and  that  they  had 
little  doubt  of  their  request  being  complied 
with.  I  had  before  told  him  who  I  was,  and 
after  expressing  joy  at  the  plan  which  he  had 
in  contemplation,  I  now  urged  him  in  the 
most  pressing  manner  to  use  all  his  influence 
to  make  the  knowledge  of  the  Scripture  the 
basis  of  the  education  which  the  children 
were  to  receive,  and  added,  that  half  the 
Bibles  and  Testaments  which  I  had  brought 
with  me  to  Evora  were  heartily  at  his  service ; 
he  inBUntly  gave  me  his  hand,  said  he  ac- 


cepted my  oflfer  with  the  greatest  pleasure, 
and  would  do  all  in  his  power  to  forward  my 
views,  which  were  in  many  respects  his  own. 
I  now  told  him  that  I  did  not  come  to  Portu- 
gal with  the  view  of  propagating  the  dogmas 
of  any  particular  sect,  but  with  the  hope  of 
introducing  the  Bible,  which  is  the  well- 
head of  all  that  is  useful  and  conducive  to  the 
happiness  of  society, — that  I  cared  not  what 
people  called  themselves,  provided  they  fol- 
lowed the  Bible  as  a  guide;  for  that  where 
the  Scriptures  were  read,  neither  priestcraft 
nor  tyranny  could  long  exist,  and  instanced 
the  case  of  my  own  country,  the  cause  of 
whose  freedom  and  prosperity  was  the  Bible, 
and  that  only,  as  the  last  persecutor  of  this 
book,  the  bloody  and  infamous  Mary,  was  the 
last  tyrant  who  had  sat  on  the  throne  of  Eng- 
land. We  did  not  part  till  the  night  was 
considerably  advanced,  and  the  next  morning 
I  sent  him  the  books,  in  the  firm  and  confi- 
dent hope  that  a  bright  and  glorious  morning 
was  about  to  rise  over  the  night  which  had 
so  long  cast  its  dreary  shadows  over  the  re- 
gions of  the  Alemtejo. 

The  day  after  this  interesting  event,  which 
was  Saturday,  I  had  more  conversation  witK 
the  man  from  Palmella.  I  asked  him  if  ia 
his  journeys  he  had  never  been  attacked  by 
robbers ;  he  answered  no,  for  that  he  gene- 
rally travelled  in  company  with  others. 
"  However,"  said  he,  "  were  I  alone  I  should 
have  little  fear,  for  I  am  well  protected."  I 
said  that  I  supposed  he  carried  arms  with 
him.  "  No  other  arms  than  this,"  said  he, 
pulling  out  one  of  those  long,  desperate-look- 
ing knives,  of  English  manufacture,  with 
which  every  Portuguese  peasant  is  usually 
furnished.  This  knife  serves  for  many  pur- 
poses, and  I  should  consider  it  a  far  more 
efficient  weapon  than  a  dagger.  "  But,"  said 
he,  "  I  do  not  place  much  confidence  in  the 
knife."  I  then  inquired  in  what  rested  his 
hope  of  protection.  "  In  this,"  said  he;  and 
unbuttoning  his  waistcoat,  he  showed  me  a 
small  bag,  attached  to  his  neck  by  a  silken 
string.  "  In  this  bag  is  an  oracam,  or  prayer, 
written  by  a  person  of  power,  and  as  long  as 
I  carry  it  about  with  me,  no  ill  can  befall  me." 
Curiosity  is  the  leading  feature  of  my  charac- 
ter, and  I  instantly  said,  with  eagerness,  that 
I  should  feel  great  pleasure  in  being  permitted 
to  read  the  prayer.  "Well,"  he  replied, 
"you  are  my  friend,  and  I  would  do  for  you 
what  I  would  for  few  others,  I  will  show  it 
you."  He  then  asked  for  my  pen-knife,  and 
having  unripped  the  bag,  took  out  a  large 
piece  of  paper  closely  folded  up.  I  hurried 
to  my  apartment  and  commenced  the  exami- 
nation of  it.  It  was  scrawled  over  in  a  very 
illegible  hand,  and  was  moreover  much 
stained  with  perspiration,  so  that  I  had  con- 
siderable difficulty  in  making  myself  master 
of  its  contents ;  but  I  at  last  accomplished  the 
following  literal  translation  of  the  charm, 
which  was  written  in  bad  Portuguese,  but 
which  struck  me  at  the  time  as  being  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  compositions  that  had 
ever  come  to  my  knowledge. 


Qi 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


THE    CHARM. 

"  Just  Judge  and  divine  Son  of  the  Virgin 
Maria,  wlio  wast  born  in  Bethlehem,  a  Naza- 
xene,  and  wast  crucified  in  the  midst  of  all 
Jewry,  I  beseech  thee,  0  Lord,  by  thy  sixth 
day,  that  the  body  of  me  be  not  caught,  nor 
put  to  death  by  "the  hands  of  justice  at  all ; 
peace  be  with  you,  the  peace  of  Christ,  may  I 
receive  peace,  may  you  receive  peace,  said  God 
to  his  disciples,  if  the  accursed  justice  should 
distrust  me,  or  have  its  eyes  on  me,  in  order  to 
take  me  or  to  rob  me,  may  its  eyes  not  see  me, 
may  its  mouth  not  speak  to  me,  may  it  have 
ears  which  may  not  hear  me,  may  it  have  hands 
which  may  not  seize  me,  may  it  have  feet 
which  may  not  overtake  me ;  for  may  I  be 
armed  with  the  arms  of  St.  George,  covered 
with  the  cloak  of  Abraham,  and  shipped  in 
tlie  ark  of  Noah,  so  that  it  can  neither  see 
me,  nor  hear  me,  nor  draw  the  blood  from  my 
body.  I  also  adjure  thee,  O  Lord,  by  those 
three  blessed  crosses,  by  those  three  blessed 
chalices,  by  those  three  blessed  clergymen, 
by  those  three  consecrated  hosts,  that  thou 
give  me  that  sweet  company  which  thou 
gavest  to  the  Virgin  Maria,  from  the  gates  of 
Bethlehem  to  the  portals  of  Jerusalem,  that  I 
may  go  and  come  with  pleasure  and  joy  with 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Virgin  Maria, 
the  prolific  yet  nevertheless  the  eternal 
virgin." 

The  woman  of  the  house  and  her  daughter 
had  similar  bags  attached  to  their  necks,  con- 
taining charms,  which,  they  said,  prevented 
the  witches  having  power  to  harm  them.  The 
belief  in  witchcraft  is  very  prevalent  amongst 
the  peasantry  of  the  Alemtejo,  and  I  believe 
of  other  provinces  of  Portugal.  This  is  one 
of  the  relics  of  the  monkish  system,  the  aim 
of  which,  in  all  countries  where  it  has  ex- 
isted, seems  to  have  been  to  besot  the  minds 
of  the  people,  that  they  might  be  more  easily 
misled.  All  these  charms  were  fabrications 
of  the  monks,  who  had  sold  them  to  their  in- 
fatuated confessants.  The  monks  of  the 
Greek  and  Syrian  churches  likewise  deal  in 
this  ware,  which  they  know  to  be  poison,  but 
which  they  would  rather  vend  than  the 
wholesome  balm  of  the  gospel,  because  it 
brings  them  a  large  price,  and  fosters  the  de- 
lusion which  enables  them  to  live  a  life  of 
luxury. 

The  Sunday  morning  was  fine,  and  the 
plain  before  the  church  of  the  convent  of  San 
Francisco  was  crowded  with  people  hasten- 
ing to  or  returning  from  the  mass.  After 
having  performed  my  morning  devotion,  and 
breakfasted,  I  went  down  to  the  kitchen ;  the 
girl  Geronima  was  seated  by  the  fire.  I  in- 
quired if  she  had  heard  mass?  She  replied 
in  the  negative,  and  that  she  did  not  intend  to 
hear  it.  Upon  my  inquiring  her  motive  for 
absenting  herself,  she  replied,  that  since  the 
friars  had  been  expelled  from  their  churches 
and  convents  she  had  ceased  to  attend  mass, 
or  to  confess  herself;  for  that  the  government 
priests  had  no  spiritual  power,  and  conse- 
quently she  never  troubled  them.  She  said 
the  friars  were  holy  men  and  charitable ;  for 


j  that  every  morning  those  of  the  convent  over 
;  the  way  fed  forty  poor  persons  with  the  relics 
;  of  the  meals  of  the  preceding  day,  but  that  now 
'  these  people  were  allowed  to  starve.     I  re- 
plied, that  the  friars,  who  lived  on  the  fat  of 
the  land,  could  well  afford  to  bestow  a  few 
]  bones  upon  their  poor,  and  that  their  doing  so 
was  merely  a  part  of  their  policy,  by  which 
:  they  hoped  to  secure  to  themselves  friends  in 
!  time  of  need.     The  girl  then  observed,  that 
I  as  it  was  Sunday,  I  should  perhaps  like  to 
!  see  some  books,  and  without  waiting  for  a 
I  reply  she  produced  them.     They  consisted 
I  principally  of  popular  stories,  with  lives  and 
miracles  of  saints,  but  amongst  them  was  a 
translation  of  Volney's  Ruins  of  Empires.     I 
expressed  a  wish  to  know  how  she  became 
possessed   of  this   book.      She  said  that  a 
young  man,  a  great  Constitutionalist,  had 
given  it  to  her  some  months  previous,  and 
had  pressed  her  much  to  read  it,  for  that  it 
was   one  of  the  best  books  in  the  world.    I 
replied,  that  the  author  of  it  was  an  emissary 
of  Satan,  and  an  enemy  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
the  souls  of  mankind;   that  it  was  written 
with  the  sole  aim  of  bringing  all  religion  into 
contempt,  and  that  it  inculcated  the  doctrine 
that  there  was  no  future  state,  nor  reward  for 
the  righteous  nor  punishment  for  the  wicked. 
She  made  no  reply,  but  going  into  another 
room,  returned  with  her  apron  full  of  dry 
sticks  and  brushwood,  all  which  she  piled 
upon  the  fire,  and  produced  a  bright  blaze. 
She  then  took  the  book  from  my  hand  and 
placed  it  upon  the  flaming  pile ;  then  sitting 
down,  took  her  rosary  out  of  her  pocket  and 
told  her  beads  till  the  volume  was  consumed. 
This  was  an  auto-da-fe  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  word. 

On  the  Monday  and  Tuesday  I  paid  my 
usual  visits  to  the  fountain,  and  likewise  rode 
about  the  neighbourhood  on  a  mule,  for  the 
purpose  of  circulating  tracts.  I  dropped  a 
great  many  in  the  favourite  walks  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Evora,  as  I  felt  rather  dubious  of  their 
accepting  them  had  I  proffered  them  with  my 
own  hand,  whereas,  should  they  be  observed 
lying  on  the  ground,  I  thought  that  curiosity 
might  cause  them  to  be  picked  up  and  ex- 
amined. I  likewise,  on  the  Tuesday  evening, 
paid  a  farewell  visit  to  my  friend  Azveto,  as 
it  was  my  intention  to  leave  Evora  on  the 
Thursday  following  and  return  to  Lisbon ;  in 
which  view  I  had  engaged  a  calash  of  a  man 
who  informed  me  that  he  had  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  grande  armee  of  Napoleon,  and 
been  present  in  the  Russian  campaign.  He 
looked  the  very  image  of  a  drunkard.  His 
face  was  covered  with  carbuncles,  and  his 
breath  impregnated  with  the  fumes  of  strong 
waters.  He  wished  much  to  converse  with 
me  in  French,  in  the  speaking  of  which  lan- 
guage it  seemed  he  prided  himself,  but  I  re- 
fused, and  told  him  to  speak  the  lancfuage  of 
the  country,  or  I  would  hold  no  discourse 
with  him. 

Wednesday  was  stormy,  with  occasional 
rain.  On  coming  down,  I  found  that  my 
friend  from  Palmella  had  departed ;  but  seve- 


THE    BIBLE    IN  SPAIN. 


35 


ral  contraband istas  had  arrived  from  Spain. 
They  were  mostly  fine  fellows,  and,  unlike 
the  two  I  had  seen  the  preceding  week,  who 
were  of  much  lower  degree,  were  chatty  and 
cooimunicative;  they  spoke  their  native  lan- 
guage, and  no  pther,  and  seemed  to  hold  the 
Portuguese  in  great  contempt.  The  magnifi- 
cent tones  of  the  Spanish  sounded  to  great 
advantage  amidst  the  shrill  squeaking  dialect 
of  Portugal.  I  was  soon  in  deep  conversation 
with  them,  and  was  much  pleased  to  find  that 
all  of  them  could  read.  I  presented  the 
eldest,  a  man  of  about  fifty  years  of  age,  with 
a  tract  in  Spanish.  He  examined  it  for  some 
time  with  great  attention  ;  he  then  rose  from 
his  seat,  and  going  into  the  middle  of  the 
apartment,  began  readmg  it  aloud,  slowly 
and  emphatically  ;  his  companions  gathered 
around  him,  and  every  now  and  then  express- 
ed their  approbation  of  what  they  heard. 
The  reader  occasionally  called  upon  me  to  ex- 
plain passages  which,  as  they  referred  to  par- 
ticular texts  of  Scripture,  he  did  not  exactly 
understand,  for  not  one  of  the  party  had  ever 
seen  either  the  Old  or  New  Testament. 

He  continued  reading  for  upwards  of  an 
hour,  until  he  had  finished  the  tract;  and,  at 
its  conclusion,  the  whole  party  were  clamorous 
for  similar  ones,  with  which  I  was  happy  to 
be  able  to  supply  them. 

Most  of  these  men  spoke  of  priestcraft  and 
the  monkish  system  with  the  utmost  abhor- 
rence, and  said  that  they  should  prefer  death 
to  submitting  again  to  the  yoke  which  had 
formerly  galled  their  necks.  I  questioned 
them  very  particularly  respecting  the  opinion 
of  their  neighbours  and  acquaintances  on  this 
point,  and  they  assured  me  that  in  their  part 
of  the  Spanish  frontier  all  were  of  the  same 
mind,  and  that  they  cared  as  little  for  the 
Pope  and  his  monks  as  they  did  for  Don  Car- 
los ;  for  the  latter  was  a  dwarf  {chicotiio)  and 
a  tyrant,  and  the  others  were  plunderers  and 
robbers.     I  told  them  they  must  beware  of 


confounding  religion  with  priestcraft,  and  that 
in  their  abhorrence  of  the  latter  they  must  not 
forget  that  there  is  a  God  and  a  Christ  to 
whom  they  must  look  for  salvation,  and  whose 
word  it  was  incumbent  upon  them  to  study 
on  every  occasion;  whereupon  they  all  ex- 
pressed a  devout  belief  in  Christ  and  the 
Virgin. 

These  men,  though  in  many  respects  more 
enlightened  than  the  surrounding  peasantry, 
were  in  others  as  much  in  the  dark ;  they  be- 
lieved in  witchcraft  and  in  the  efficacy  of  par- 
ticular charms.  The  night  was  very  stormy, 
and  at  about  nine  we  heard  a  galloping  to- 
wards the  door,  and  then  a  loud  knocking:  it 
was  opened,  and  in  rushed  a  wild-looking  man, 
mounted  on  a  donkey ;  he  wore  a  ragged 
jacket  of  sheep  skin,  called  in  Spanish  za- 
marra,  with  breeches  of  the  same  as  far  down 
as  his  knees ;  his  legs  were  bare.  Around 
his  sombrero,  or  shadowy  hat,  was  tied  a 
large  quantity  of  the  herb  which  in  English 
is  called  rosemary,  in  Spanish  romero,  and  in 
the  rustic  language  of  Portugal,  alecrim; 
which  last  is  a  word  of  Scandinavian  origin, 
(el/egren,)  signifying  the  elfin  plant,  and  was 
probably  carried  into  the  south  by  the  Van- 
dals. The  man  seemed  frantic  with  terror, 
and  said  that  the  witches  had  been  pursuing 
him  and  hovering  over  his  head  for  the  last 
two  leagues.  He  came  from  the  Spanish 
frontier  with  meal  and  other  articles ;  he  said 
that  his  wife  was  following  him  and  would 
soon  arrive,  and  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
she  made  her  appearance,  dripping  with  rain, 
and  also  mounted  on  a  donkey. 

I  asked  my  friends  the  contrabandistas  why 
he  wore  the  rosemary  in  his  hat;  whereupon 
they  told  me  that  it  was  good  against  witches 
and  the  mischances  on  the  road.  I  had  no 
time  to  argue  against  this  superstition,  for,  as 
the  chaise  was  to  be  ready  at  five  the  next 
morning,  I  wished  to  make  the  most  of  the 
short  time  which  I  could  devote  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  l\. 


Vexatious  Delays — Drunken  Driver — The  murdered  Mule — The  Lamentation — Adventnre  on  the 
Heath — Fear  of  Darkness — Portuguese  Fidalgo — The  Escort — Return  to  Lisbon. 


I  ROSE  at  four,  and  after  having  taken  some 
refreshment,  I  descended  and  found  the  strange 
man  and  his  wife  sleeping  in  the  chimney 
corner  by  the  fire,  which  was  still  burning ; 
they  soon  awoke  and  began  preparing  their 
breakfast,  which  consisted  of  salt  sardinhas, 
broiled  upon  the  embers.  In  the  mean  time 
the  woman  sang  snatches  of  the  beautiful 
hymn,  very  common  in  Spain,  which  com- 
mences thus : — 

"  Once  of  old  upon  a  mountain,  shepherds  over- 
come with  sleep, 
Near  to  Bethlem's  holy  tower,  kept  at  dead  of 
night  their  sheep ; 


Round  about  the  trunk  they  nodded  of  a  huge 

ignited  oak, 
Whence  the  crackling  flame  ascending  Bright 

and  clear  the  darkness  broke." 

On  hearing  that  I  was  about  to  depart,,  she 
said,  "  You  shall  have  some  of  my  husband's 
rosemary,  which  will  keep  you  from  danger, 
and  prevent  any  misfortune  occurring."  I 
was  foolish  enough  to  permit  her  to  put  some 
of  it  in  my  hat ;  and  the  man  having  by  this 
time  arrived  with  his  mules,  I  bade  farewell 
to  my  friendly  hostesses,  and  entered  the 
chaise  with  my  servant. 

I  remarked,  at  the  time,  that  the  mules 
C 


36 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


which   drew  us  were  the  finest  I  had  ever 
seen  ;  the  largest  could  be  little  short  of  six- 
teen hands  high ;  and  the  fellow  told  me  in  his 
bad  French  that  he  loved  them  better  than  his 
wife  and   children.     We   turned   round    the 
corner  of  the  convent  and  proceeded   down 
the  street  which  leads  to  the  south-western 
gate.     The   driver  now   stopped   before   the 
door  of  a  large  house,  and  having  alighted, 
said  that  it  was  yet  very  early,  and  that  he 
was  afraid  to  venture  forth,  as  it  was  very 
probable  we  should  be  robbed,  and  himself 
murdered,  as  the  robbers  who  resided  in  the 
town  would  be  apprehensive  of  his  discover- 
ing them,  but  that  the  family  who  lived  in 
this  house  were  going  to  Lisbon,  and  would 
depart  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  we 
mioht  avail  ourselves  of  an  escort  of  soldiers 
which  they  would  take  with  them,  and  in 
their  company  we  should  run  no  danger.     I 
told  him  1  had  no  fear,  and  commanded  him 
to  drive  on;  but  he  said  he  would  not,  and 
left  us   in  the  street.     We  waited  an   hour, 
when  two  carriages  came  to  the  door  of  the 
house,  but  it  seems  the  family  were  not  yet 
ready,  whereupon  the  coachman  likewise  got 
down  and  went  away.     At  the  expiration  of 
about  half  an  hour  the  family  came  out,  and 
when  their  luggage  had  been  arranged  they 
called  for  the  coachman,  but  he  was  nowhere 
to  be  found.     Search  was  made  for  him,  but 
ineffectually,  and  an  hour  more  was   spent 
before  another  driver  could  be  procured  ;  but 
the  escort  had  not  yet  made  its  appearance, 
and  it  was  not  before  a  servant  had  been  twice 
despatched  to  the  barracks   that   it  arrived. 
At  last  every  thing  was   ready,  and    they 
drove  off. 

All  this  time  I  had  seen  nothing  of  our  own 
coachman,  and  I  fully  expected  that  he  had 
abandoned  us  altogether.  In  a  few  minutes  I 
saw  him  staggering  up  the  street  in  a  state  of 
intoxication,  attempting  to  sing  the  Marseillois 
hymn.  I  said  nothing  to  him,  but  sat  observ- 
ing him.  He  stood  for  some  time  staring  at 
the  mules,  and  talking  incoherent  nonsense  in 
French.  At  last  he  said,  "  I  am  not  so  drunk 
but  I  can  ride,"  and  proceeded  to  lead  his 
mules  toward  the  gate.  When  out  of  the 
town  he  made  several  ineffectual  attempts  to 
mount  the  smallest  mule  which  bore  the  sad- 
dle; he  at  length  succeeded,  and  instantly 
commenced  spurring  at  a  furious  rate  down 
the  road.  We  arrived  at  a  place  where  a  nar- 
row rocky  path  branched  off,  by  taking  which 
we  should  avoid  a  considerable  circuit  round 
the  city  wall,  which  otherwise  it  would  be 
necessary  to  make  before  we  could  reach  the 
road  to  Lisbon,  which  lay  at  the  north-east; 
he  now  said,  "I  shall  take  this  path,  for  by 
so  doing  we  shall  overtake  the  family  in  a 
minute;^' so  into  the  path  we  went;  it  was 
scarcely  wide  enough  to  admit  the  carriage, 
and  exceedingly  steep  and  broken;  we  pro- 
ceeded ascending  and  descending,  the  wheels 
cracked,  and  the  motion  was  so  violent  that 
we  were  in  danger  of  being  cast  out  as  from  j 
a  sling.  I  saw  that  if  we  remained  in  the  car-  ] 
riage  it  must  be  broken  in  pieces,  as  our  weight 


must  insure  its  destruction.  I  called  to  him 
in  Portuguese  to  stop,  but  he  flogged  and 
spurred  the  beasts  the  more.  My  man  now 
entreated  me  for  God's  sake  to  speak  to  hiru 
in  French,  for,  if  any  thing  would  pacify  him, 
that  would.  1  did  so,  and  entreated  him  to  let 
us  dismount  and  walk,  till  we  had  cleared  this 
dangerous  way.  The  result  justified  Antonio's 
anticipation.  He  instantly  stopped  and  said, 
"  Sir,  you  are  master,  you  have  only  to  com- 
mand and  I  shall  obey."  We  dismounted  and 
walked  on  till  we  reached  the  great  road,  whea 
we  once  more  seated  ourselves. 

The  family  were  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  advance,  and  we  were  no  sooner  reseated, 
than  he  lashed  the  mules  into  full  gallop  for 
the  purpose  of  overtaking  it;  his  cloak  had 
fallen  from  his  shoulder,  and  in  endeavouring 
to  readjust  it,  he  dropped  the  string  from  his 
hand  by  which  he  guided  the  large  mule,  it 
became  entangled  in  the  legs  of  the  poor  ani- 
mal, which  fell  heavily  on  its  neck,  it  strug- 
gled for  a  moment,  and  then  lay  stretched 
across  the  way,  the  shafts  over  its  body.  I  was 
pitched  forward  into  the  dirt,  and  the  drunken 
driver  fell  upon  the  murdered  mule. 

I  was  in  a  great  rage,  and  cried,  "You 
drunken  renegade,  who  are  ashamed  to  speak 
the  language  of  your  own  country,  you  have 
broken  the  staff  of  your  existence,  and  may 
now  starve."  "  Paciencia,"  said  he,  and  began 
kicking  the  head  of  the  mule,  in  order  to  make 
it  rise  ;  but  I  pushed  him  down,  and  taking 
his  knife,  which  had  fallen  from  his  pocket, 
cut  the  bands  by  which  it  was  attached  to  the 
carriage,  but  life  had  fled,  and  the  film  of 
death  had  begun  to  cover  its  eyes. 

The  fellow,  in  the  recklessness  of  intoxica- 
tion, seemed  at  first  disposed  to  make  light  of 
his  loss,  r-aying,  "The  mule  is  dead,  it  was 
God's  will  that  she  should  die,  what  more  can 
be  said  ?  Paciencia."  Meanwhile,  I  despatch- 
ed Antonio  to  the  town  for  the  purpose  of  hir- 
ing mules,  and,  having  taken  my  baggage 
from  the  chaise,  waited  on  the  road  side  until 
he  should  arrive. 

The  fumes  of  the  liquor  began  now  to  de- 
part from  the  fellow's  brain;  he  clasped  his 
hands,  and  exclaimed,  "  Blessed  Virgin,  what 
is  to  become  of  mel  How  am  I  to  support 
myself?  Where  am  I  to  get  another  mule  ? 
For  my  mule,  my  best  mule,  is  dead,  she  fell 
upon  the  road,  and  died  of  a  sudden!  I  have 
been  in  France  and  in  other  countries,  and 
have  seen  beasts  of  all  kinds,  but  such  a  mule 
as  that  I  have  never  seen;  but  she  is  dead — 
my  mule  is  dead — she  fell  upon  the  road  and 
died  of  a  sudden  !"  He  continued  in  this  strain 
for  a  considerable  time,  and  the  burden  of  his 
lamentation  was  always,  "  My  mule  is  dead, 
she  fell  upon  the  road  and  died  of  a  sudden." 
At  length  he  took  the  collar  from  the  creature's 
neck,  and  put  it  upon  the  other,  which  with 
some  difficulty  he  placed  in  the  shafts. 

A  beautiful  boy  of  about  thirteen  now  came 
from  the  direction  of  the  town,  running  along 
the  road  with  the  velocity  of  a  hare:  he  stop- 
ped before  the  dead  mule  and  burst  into  tears: 
it  was  the  man's  son,  who  had  heard  of  the  ac- 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


27 


ddent  from  Antonio.  This  was  too  much  for 
the  poor  fellow;  he  ran  up  to  the  boy,  and 
said,  "Don't  cry,  our  bread  is  gone,  but  it  is 
God's  will;  the  mule  is  dead!"  He  then 
flung  himself  on  the  ground,  uttering  fearful 
cries.  "  I  could  have  borne  my  loss,"  said 
he,  "  but  when  I  saw  my  child  cry,  I  became 
a  fool."  I  give  him  two  or  three  crowns,  and 
added  some  words  of  comfort;  assuring  hirn 
that  I  had  nodoubtthat  if  he  abandoned  drink, 
the  Almighty  God  would  take  compassion  on 
him  and  repair  his  loss.  At  length  he  became 
more  composed,  and  placing  my  baggage  in 
the  chaise,  we  returned  to  the  town,  where  I 
found  two  excellent  riding  mules  awaiting  my 
arrival  at  the  inn.  I  did  not  see  the  Spanish 
woman,  or  I  should  have  told  her  of  the  little 
efficacy  of  rosemary  in  this  instance. 

I  have  known  several  drunkards  amongst 
the  Portuguese,  but,  without  one  exception, 
they  have  been  individuals  who,  having  tra- 
velled abroad,  like  this  fellow,  have  returned 
with  a  contempt  for  their  own  country,  and 
polluted  with  the  worst  vices  of  the  lands 
which  they  have  visited. 

1  would  strongly  advise  any  of  my  country- 
men who  may  chance  to  read  these  lines,  that, 
if  their  fate  lead  them  into  Spain  or  Portugal, 
they  avoid  hiring  as  domestics,  or  being  con- 
nected with,  individuals  of  the  lower  classes 
who  speak  any  other  language  than  their  own, 
as  the  probability  is  that  they  are  heartless 
thieves  and  drunkards.  These  gentry  are 
invariably  saying  all  they  can  in  dispraise  of 
their  native  land ;  and  it  is  my  opinion,  ground- 
ed upon  experience,  that  an  individual  who 
is  capable  of  such  baseness  would  not  hesitate 
at  the  perpetration  of  any  villany,  for,  next  to 
the  love  of  God,  the  love  of  country  is  the 
best  preventive  of  crime.  He  who  is  proud 
of  his  country,  will  be  particularly  cautious 
not  to  do  any  thing  which  is  calculated  to 
disgrace  it. 

We  now  journeyed  towards  Lisbon,  and 
reached  Monte  Moro  about  two  o'clock. 
After  taking  such  refreshment  as  the  place 
afforded,  we  pursued  our  way  till  we  were 
within  a  quarter  of  a  league  of  the  huts  which 
stand  on  the  edge  of  the  savage  wilderness 
we  had  before  crossed.  Here  we  were  over- 
taken by  a  horseman ;  he  was  a  powerful, 
middle-sized  man,  and  was  mounted  on  a 
noble  Spanish  horse.  He  had  a  broad, 
slouching  sombrero  on  his  head,  and  wore  a 
jerkin  of  blue  cloth,  with  large  bosses  of  sil- 
ver for  buttons,  and  clasps  of  the  same  metal ; 
he  had  breeches  of  yellow  leather,  and  im- 
mense jack-boots :  at  his  saddle  was  slung  a 
formidable  gun.  He  inquired  if  I  intended  to 
pass  the  night  at  Vendas  Novas,  and  on  my 
replying  in  the  afRrmative,  he  said  that  he 
would  avail  liimself  of  our  company.  He 
now  looked  tov/ards  the  sun,  whose  disk  was 
rapidly  sinking  beneath  the  horizon,  and  en- 
treated us  to  spur  on  and  make  the  most  of  its 
light,  for  that  the  moorwas  a  horrible  place  in 
the  dusk.  He  placed  himself  at  our  head, 
and  we  trotted  briskly  on,  the  boy  or  mule- 
teer who  attended  us  running  behind  with- 


out  exhibiting    the    slightest    symptom  of 
fatigue. 

We  entered  upon  the  moor,  and  had  ad- 
vanced about  a  mile  when  dark  night  fell 
around  us ;  we  were  in  a  wild  path,  with  high 
brushwood  on  either  side,  when  the  rider  said 
that  he  could  not  confront  the  darkness,  and 
begged  me  to  ride  on  before  and  he  would 
follow  after :  I  could  hear  him  trembling.  I 
asked  the  reason  of  his  terror,  and  he  replied 
that  at  one  time  darkness  was  the  same  thing 
to  him  as  day,  but  that  of  late  years  he 
dreaded  it  especially  in  wild  places.  I  com- 
plied with  his  request,  but  I  M'as  ignorant  of 
the  way,  and  as  I  could  scarcely  see  my 
hand,  was  continually  going  wrong.  This 
made  the  man  impatient,  and  he  again  placed 
himself  at  our  head.  We  proceeded  so  for  a 
considerable  way,  when  he  again  stopped, 
and  said  that  the  power  of  the  darkness  was 
too  much  for  hiai.  His  horse  seemed  to  be 
infected  with  the  same  panic,  for  it  shook  in 
every  limb.  I  now  told  him  to  call  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  was  able  to  turn 
the  darkness  into  light,  but  he  gave  a  terrible' 
shout,  and,  brandishing  his  gun  aloft,  dis- 
charged it  in  the  air.  His  horse  sprang  for- 
W'ard  at  full  speed,  and  my  mule,  which  was 
one  of  the  swiftest  of  its  kind,  took  fright  and 
followed  at  the  heels  of  the  charger.  Antonio 
and  the  boy  were  left  behind.  On  we  flew 
like  a  whirlwind,  the  hoofs  of  the  animals 
illuming  the  path  with  the  sparks  of  fire 
they  struck  from  the  stones.  I  knew  not 
whither  we  were  going,  but  the  dumb  crea- 
tures were  acquainted  with  the  way,  and  soon 
brought  us  to  Vendas  Novas,  where  we  were 
rejoined  by  our  companions. 

I  thought  this  man  was  a  coward,  but  I  did 
him  injustice,  for  during  the  day  he  was  as 
brave  as  a  lion,  and  feared  no  one.  About 
five  years  since,  he  had  overcome  two  robbers 
who  had  attacked  him  on  the  moors,  and, 
after  tying  their  hands  behind  them,  had  de- 
livered them  up  to  justice;  but  at  night  the 
rustling  of  a  leaf  filled  him  with  terror.  I 
have  known  similar  instances  of  the  kind  in 
persons  of  otherwise  extraordinary  resolution. 
For  myself,  I  confess  I  am  not  a  person  of 
extraordinary  resolution,  but  the  dangers  of 
the  night  daunt  me  no  more  than  those  of 
mid-day.  The  man  in  question  was  a  farmer 
from  Evora,  and  a  person  of  considerable 
wealth. 

I  found  the  inn  at  Vendas  Novas  thronged 
with  people,  and  had  some  difficulty  in  ob- 
taining accommodation  and  refreshment.  It 
was  occupied  by  the  family  of  a  certain  Fi 
dalgo,  from  Estremoz ;  he  was  on  the  way  to 
Lisbon,  conveying  a  large  sum  of  money,  as 
was  said — probably  the  rents  of  his  estates. 
He  had  with  him  a  body-guard  of  four-and- 
twenty  of  his  dependants,  each  armed  with  a 
rifle ;  they  consisted  of  his  swineherds,  shep- 
;  herds,  cowherds,  and  hunters,  and  were  com- 
manded by  two  youths,  his  son,  and  nephew ; 
the  latter  of  whom  was  in  regimentals ;  never- 
theless, notwithstanding  the  number  of  his 
1  troop,  it  appeared  that  the  Fidalgo  laboured 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


under  considerable  apprehension  of  being 
despoiled  upon  the  waste  which  lay  between 
Vendas  Novas  and  Pegoens,  as  he  had  just 
requested  a  guard  of  four  soldiers  from  the 
officer  who  commanded  a  detachment  sta- 
tioned here :  there  were  many  females  in  his 
company,  who,  I  was  told,  were  his  illegiti- 
mate daughters — for  he  bore  an  infamous 
moral  character,  and  was  represented  to  me 
as  a  stanch  friend  of  Don  Miguel.  It  was 
not  long  before  he  came  up  to  me  and  my 
new  acquaintance,  as  we  sat  by  the  kitchen 
lire :  he  was  a  tall  man  of  about  sixty,  but 
stooped  much.  His  countenance  was  by  no 
means  pleasing :  he  had  a  long  hooked  nose, 
small  twinkling  cunning  eyes,  and  what  I 
liked  worst  of  all,  a  continual  sneering  smile, 
which  I  firmly  believe  to  be  the  index  of  a 
treacherous  and  malignant  heart.  He  ad- 
dressed me  in  Spanish,  which,  ^ls  he  resided 
not  far  from  the  frontier,  he  spoke  with 
fluency,  but,  contrary  to  my  usual  practice,  I 
was  reserved  and  silent. 

On  the  following  morning  I  rose  at  seven, 
and  found  that  the  party  from  Estremoz  had 
started  several  hours  previously.  I  break- 
fasted with  my  acquaintance  of  the  preceding 
night,  and  we  set  out  to  accomplish  what  re- 
mained of  our  journey.  The  sun  had  now 
arisen ;  and  all  his  fears  had  now  left  him — 
he  breathed  defiance  against  all  the  robbers 
of  the  Alemtejo.  When  we  had  advanced 
about  a  league,  the  boy  who  attended  us  said 
he  saw  heads  of  men  among  the  brushwood. 
Our  cavalier  instantly  seized  his  gun,  and 
causing  his  horse  to  make  two  or  three  lofty 
bounds,  held  it  in  one  hand,  the  muzzle 
pointed  in  the  direction  indicated,  but  the 
heads  did  not  again  make  their  appearance, 
and  it  was  probably  but  a  false  alarm. 

We  resumed  our  way,  and  the  conversation 
turned,  as  might  be  expected,  upon  robbers. 
My  companion,  who  seemed  to  be  acquainted 
with  every  inch  of  ground  over  which  we 
passed,  had  a  legend  to  tell  of  every  dingle 
and  every  pine-clump.  We  reached  a  slight 
eminence,  on  the  top  of  which  grew  three 
stately  pines ;  about  half  a  league  farther  on 
was  another  similar  one;  these  two  emi- 
nences commanded  a  view  of  the  road  from 
Pegoens  and  Vendas  Novas,  so  that  all  peo- 
ple going  and  coming  could  be  descried, 
whilst  yet  at  a  distance.  My  friend  told  me 
that  these  heights  were  favourite  stations  of 
robbers.  Some  two  years  since,  a  band  of 
six  mounted  banditti  remained  there  three 
days,  and  plundered  whomsoever  approached 
from  either  quarter:    their  horses,  saddled 


and  bridled,  stood  picqueted  at  the  foot  of 
the  trees,  and  two  scouts,  one  for  each 
eminence,  continually  sat  in  the  topmost 
branches  and  gave  notice  of  the  approach  of 
travellers;  when  at  a  proper  distance,  the 
robbers  below  sprung  upon  their  horses,  and 
putting  them  to  full  gallop,  made  at  their  prey, 
shouting,  Rende/e,  Ficaro!  Rendete,  Ficaru! 
(Surrender,  scoundrel,  surrender!)  We,  how- 
ever, passed  unmolested,  and  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  before  we  reached  Pegoens,  over- 
took the  family  of  the  Fidalgo. 

Had  they  been  conveying  the  wealth  of 
Ind  through  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  they  could 
not  have  travelled  with  more  precaution. 
The  nephew,  with  drawn  sabre,  rode  in  front; 
pistols  in  his  holsters,  and  the  usual  Spanish 
gun  slung  at  his  saddle.  Behind  him 
tramped  six  men  in  a  rank,  with  muskets 
shouldered,  and  each  of  them  wore  at  his 
girdle  a  hatchet,  which  was  probably  in- 
tended to  cleave  the  thieves  to  the  brisket 
should  they  venture  to  come  to  close  quarters. 
There  were  six  vehicles,  two  of  them  calashes, 
in  which  latter  rode  the  Fidalgo  and  his 
daughters ;  the  others  were  covered  carts,  and 
seemed  to  be  filled  with  household  furniture ; 
each  of  these  vehicles  had  an  armed  nistic  on 
either  side;  and  the  son,  a  lad  about  sixteen, 
brouglit  up  the  rear,  with  a  squad  equal  to 
that  of  his  cousin  in  the  van.  The  soldiers, 
who  by  good  fortune  were  light  horse,  and 
admirably  mounted,  were  galloping  about  in 
all  directions,  for  the  purpose  of  driving  the 
enemy  from  cover,  should  they  happen  to  be 
lurking  in  the  neighbourhood. 

I  could  not  help  thinking  as  I  passed  by, 
that  this  martial  array  was  verj'  injudicious, 
for  though  it  was  calculated  to  awe  plunder- 
ers, it  was  likewise  calculated  to  allure  them, 
as  it  seemed  to  hint  that  immense  wealth 
was  passing  through  their  territories.  I  do 
not  know  how  the  soldiers  and  rustics  would 
have  behaved  in  case  of  an  attack ;  but  am 
inclined  to  believe  that  if  three  such  men  as 
Richard  Turpin  had  suddenly  galloped  forth 
from  behind  one  of  the  bush-covered  knolls, 
neither  the  numbers  nor  resistance  opposed  to 
them  would  have  prevented  them  from  bear- 
ing away  the  contents  of  the  strong  box 
jingling  in  their  saddle-bags. 

From  this  moment  nothing  worthy  of  re- 
lating occurred  till  our  arrival  at  Aldea  Gal- 
lega,  where  we  passed  the  night,  and  next 
morning  at  three  o'clock  embarked  in  the 
passage-boat  for  Lisbon,  where  we  arrived  at 
eight — and  thus  terminates  my  first  wander- 
ing in  the  Alemtejo. 


THE    BIBLE    IN   SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  College — The  Rector — Shibboleth — National  Prejudices — Youthful  Sports — Jews  of  Lisbon — 
Bad  Faith — Crime  and  Superstition — Strange  Proposal. 


One  afternoon  Antonio  said  to  me,  "It  has 
struck  me,  Senhor,  that  your  worship  would 
like  to  see  thecollegfe9f  the  English***  *  *." 
"  By  all  means,"  I  replied,  "  pray  conduct 
me  thither."  So  he  led  me  through  various 
streets  until  we  stopped  before  the  gate  of  a 
large  building  in  one  of  the  most  elevated 
situations  in  Lisbon  ;  upon  our  ringing,  a  kind 
of  porter  presently  made  his  appearance,  and 
demanded  our  business.  Antonio  explained  it 
to  him.  He  hesitated  for  a  moment ;  but  pre- 
sently bidding  us  enter,  conducted  us  to  a 
large  gloomy-looking  stone  hall,  where,  beg- 
ging us  to  be  seated,  he  left  us.  We  were 
soon  joined  by  a  venerable  personage,  seem- 
ingly about  seventy,  in  a  kind  of  flowing  robe 
or  surplice,  with  a  collegiate  cap  upon  his 
head ;  notwithstanding  his  age  there  was  a 
ruddy  tinge  upon  his  features,  which  were 
perfectly  English.  Coming  slowly  up  he 
addressed  me  in  the  English  tongue,  request- 
ing to  know  how  he  could  serve  me.  I  in- 
formed him  that  I  was  an  English  traveller, 
and  should  be  happy  to  be  permitted  to  inspect 
the  college,  provided  it  were  customary  to 
show  it  to  strangers.  He  informed  me  that 
there  could  be  no  objection  to  accede  to  my 
request,  but  that  I  came  at  rather  an  unfortu- 
nate moment,  it  being  the  hour  of  refection. 
I  apologized,  and  was  preparing  to  retire,  but 
he  begged  me  to  remain,  as,  in  a  few  minutes, 
the  refection  would  be  over,  when  the  princi- 
pals of  the  college  would  do  themselves  the 
pleasure  of  wailing  on  me. 

We  sat  down  on  the  stone  bench,  when  he 
commenced  surveying  me  attentively  for  some 
time,  and  then  cast  his  eyes  on  Antonio. 
"  Whom  have  we  herel"  said  he  to  the  lat- 
ter; "surely  your  features  are  not  unknown 
to  me  l"  "  Probably  not,  your  reverence," 
replied  Antonio,  getting  up  and  bowing  most 
profoundly.  "  I  lived  in  the  family  of  the 
Countess  *  *  *,  at  Cintra,  when  your  venera- 
bility  was  her  spiritual  girtde."  "  True,  true," 
said  the  old  gentleman,  sighing,  "  I  remember 
you  now.  Ah,  Antonio,  things  are  strangely 
changed  since  then.  A  new  government — a 
new  system — a  new  religion,  I  may  say." 
Then  looking  again  at  me,  he  demanded  whi- 
ther I  was  journeying.  "  I  am  going  to 
Spain,"  said  I,  "  and  have  stopped  at  Lisbon 
by  the  way."  "  Spain,  Spain  !"  said  the  old 
man  ;  "  suruly  you  have  chosen  a  strange  time 
to  visit  Spain  ;  there  is  much  blood-shedding 
in  Spain  at  present,  and  violent  wars  and  tu- 
mults." "  I  consider  the  cause  of  Don  Car- 
los as  already  crushed,"  I  replied;  "  he  has 
lost  the  only  general  capable  of  leading  his 
armies  to  Madrid.  Zumalacarregui,  his  Cid, 
has  fallen."  "  Do  not  flatter  yourself;  I  beg 
your  pardon,  but  do  not  think,  young  man,  that 


I  the  Lord  will  permit  the  powers  of  darkness 
to  triumph  so  easily  ;  the  cause  of  Don  Car- 
los is  not  lost;  its  success  did  not  depend  on 
the  life  of  a  frail  worm  like  him  whom  you 
have  mentioned."  We  continued  in  discourse 
some  little  time,  when  he  arose,  saying  that 
by  this  time  he  believed  the  refection  was 
concluded. 

He  had  scarcely  left  me  five  minutes  when 
three  individuals  entered  the  stone  hall,  and 
advanced  slowly  towards  me ; — the  principals 
of  the  college,  said  I  to  myself;  and  so  indeed 
they  were.  The  first  of  those  gentlemen,  and 
to  whom  the  other  two  appeared  to  pay  con- 
siderable deference,  was  a  thin,  spare  person, 
somewhat  above  the  middle  height ;  his  com- 
plexion was  very  pale,  his  features  emaciated 
but  fine,  his  eyes  dark  and  sparkling;  he 
might  be  about  fifty — the  other  two  were  men 
in  the  prime  of  life.  One  was  of  rather  low 
stature  ;  his  features  were  dark,  and  wore  that 
■  pinched  and  mortified  expression  so  frequently 
to  be  observed  in  the  countenance  of  the  En- 
glish ****♦:  the  other  was  a  bluff,  rud- 
dy, and  rather  good-looking  young  man  ;  all 
three  were  dressed  alike  in  the  usual  college 
cap  and  silk  gown.  Coming  up,  the  eldest  of 
the  three  took  me  by  the  hand  and  thus  ad- 
dressed me  in  clear  silvery  tones : — 

"Welcome,  Sir,  to  our  poor  house ;  we  are 
always  happy  to  see  in  it  a  countryman  from 
our  beloved  native  land  ;  it  will  afford  us  ex- 
treme satisfaction  to  show  you  over  it;  it  is 
true  that  satisfaction  is  considerably  dimi- 
nished by  the  reflection  that  it  possesses  no- 
thing worthy  of  the  attention  of  a  traveller; 
there  is  nothing  curious  pertaining  to  it  save 
perhaps  its  economy,  and  that,  as  we  walk 
about,  we  will  explain  to  you.  Permit  us, 
first  of  all,  to  introduce  ourselves  to  you ;  I 
am  rector  of  this  poor  English  house  of  refuge ; 
this  gentleman  is  our  professor  of- humanity, 
and  this  (pointing  to  the  ruddy  personage)  is 
our  professor  of  polite  learning,  Hebrew,  and 
Syriac. 

Myself. — 1  humbly  salute  you  all;  excuse 
me  if  1  inquire  who  was  the  venerable  gen- 
tleman who  put  himself  to  the  inconvenience 
of  staying  with  me  whilst  I  was  awaiting 
your  leisure. 

Rector. — 0  !  a  most  admirable  personage, 
our  almoner,  our  chaplain ;  he  came  into  this 
country  before  any  of  us  were  born,  and  here 
he  has  continued  ever  since.  Now  let  us  as- 
cend that  we  may  show  you  our  poor  house  : 
but  how  is  this,  my  dear  Sir,  how  is  it  that  I 
see  you  standing  uncovered  in  our  cold,  damp 
hall"] 

Myself. — I  can  easily  explain  that  to  yoo  ; 
it  is  a  custom  which  has  become  quite  natural 
to  me.  I  am  just  arrived  from  Russia,  where 
c2 


30 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


I  have  spent  some  years.  A  Russian  invaria- 
bly takes  off  his  hat  whenever  he  enters  be- 
neath a  root',  whether  it  pertain  to  hut,  shop, 
or  palace.  To  omit  doing  so  would  be  con- 
sidered as  a  mark  of  brutality  and  barbarism, 
and  for  the  following  reason  :  in  every  apart- 
ment of  a  Russian  house  there  is  a  small  pic- 
ture of  the  Virgin  stuck  up  in  a  corner,  just 
below  the  ceiling — the  hat  is  taken  off  out  of 
respect  to  her. 

Quick  glances  of  intelligence  were  ex- 
changed by  the  three  gentlemen.  I  had  stum- 
bled upon  their  shibboleth,  and  proclaimed 
myself  an  Ephraimite,  and  not  of  Gilead.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  up  to  that  moment  they 
had  considered  me  as  one  of  themselves — a 
member,  and  perhaps  a  priest,  of  their  own 
ancient,  grand,  and  imposing  religion,  for  such 
it  is,  I  must  confess — an  error  into  which  it 
was  natural  that  they  should  fall.  What  mo- 
tives could  a  Protestant  have  for  intruding  upon 
their  privacy?  What  interest  could  betake 
in  inspecting  the  economy  of  their  establish- 
ment] So  far,  however,  from  relaxing  in  their 
attention  after  this  discovery,  their  politeness 
visibly  increased,  though,  perhaps,  a  scruti- 
nizing observer  might  have  detected  a  shade 
of  less  cordiality  in  their  manner. 

Rector. — Beneath  the  ceiling  in  every  apart- 
ment 1  I  think  I  understood  you  so.  How 
delightful — how  truly  interesting;  a  picture 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  beneath  the  ceiling  in 
every  apartment  of  a  Russian  house  !  Truly, 
this  intelligence  is  as  unexpected  as  it  is  de- 
lightful. I  shall  from  this  moment  entertain 
a  much  higher  opinion  of  the  Russians  than 
hitherto — most  truly  an  example  worthy  of 
imitation.  I  wish  sincerely  that  it  was  our  own 
practice  to  place  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin beneath  the  ceiling  in  every  corner  of  our 
houses.  What  say  you,  our  professor  of  hu- 
manity 1  What  say  you  to  the  information  so 
obligingly  communicated  to  us  by  this  excel- 
lent gentleman  ] 

Humanity  Professor. — It  is,  indeed,  most 
delightful,  most  cheering,  I  may  say;  but  I 
confess  that  I  was  not  altogether  unprepared 
for  it.  The  adoration  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
is  becoming  every  day  more  extended  in  coun- 
tries where  it  has  hitherto  been  unknown  or 

forgotten.      Dr.   W ,    when    he    passed 

through  Lisbon,  gave  me  some  most  interest- 
ing details  with  respect  to  the  labours  of  the 
propaganda  in  India.  Even  England,  our 
own  beloved  country 


My  obliging  friends  showed  me  all  over 
their  "poor  house,"  it  certainly  did  not  ap- 
pear a  very  rich  one;  it  was  spacious,  and 
rather  dilapidated.  The  library  was  small, 
and  possessed  nothing  remarkable  ;  the  view, 
however,  from  the  roof,  over  the  greater  part 
of  Lisbon  and  the  Tagus,  was  very  grand  and 
noble  ;  but  I  did  not  visit  this  place  in  the 
hope  of  seeing  busts,  or  books,  or  fine  pros- 
pects,— I  visited  this  strange  old  house  to 
converse  with  its  inmates,  for  my  favourite,  I 
might  say,  rliy  only  study,  is  man.  I  found 
these  gentlemen  much  what  I  had  anticipated ; 


for  this  was  not  the  first  time  that  I  had  visU- 
ed  an  English  *****  establishment  in 
a  foreign  land.  They  were  full  of  annability 
and  courtesy  to  their  heretic  countryman,  and 
though  the  advancement  of  their  religion  was 
with  them  an  object  of  paramount  importance, 
I  soon  found  that,  with  ludicrous  inconsist- 
ency,  they  cherished,  to  a  wonderful  degree, 
national  prejudices  almost  extinct  in  the  mo- 
ther land,  even  to  the  disparagement  of  those 
of  their  own  darling  faith.  I  spoke  of  the 
English  *****,  of  their  high  respecta- 
bility, and  of  the  loyally  which  they  had  uni- 
formly displayed  to  their  sovereign,  though 
of  a  different  religion,  and  by  whom  they  had 
been  not  unfrequently  subjected  to  much  op- 
pression and  injustice. 

Rector. — My  dear  Sir,  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear 
you;  I  see  that  you  are  well  acquainted  with 
the  great  body  of  those  of  our  faith  in  Eng- 
land. They  are,  as  you  have  well  described 
them,  a  most  respectable  and  loyal  body  ; 
from  loyalty,  indeed,  they  never  swerved,  and 
though  they  have  been  accused  of  plots  and 
conspiracies,  it  is  now  well  known  that  such 
had  no  real  existence,  but  were  merely  ca- 
lumnies invented  by  their  religious  enemies. 
During  the  civil  wars  the  English  ***** 
cheerfully  shed  their  blood  and  squandered 
their  fortunes  in  the  cause  of  the  unfortunate 
martyr,  notwithstanding  that  he  never  favour- 
ed them,  and  invariably  looked  upon  them 
with  suspicion.  At  present  the  English 
*****  are  the  most  devoted  subjects  of 
onr  gracious  sovereign.  I  should  be  happy 
if  I  could  say  as  much  for  our  Irish  brethren; 
but  their  conduct  has  been — oh  !  detestable. 
Yet  what  can  you  expect?  The  true  *  *  *  * 
blush  for  them.  A  certain  person  is  a  dis- 
grace to  ihe  church  of  which  he  pretends  to 
be  the  servant.  Where  does  he  find  in  our 
canons  sanction  for  his  proceedings,  his  un- 
dutiful  expressions  towards  one  who  is  his 
sovereign  by  divine  right,  and  who  can  do  no 
wrong?  And  above  all,  where  does  he  find 
authority  for  inflaming  the  passions  of  a  vile 
mob  against  a  nation  intended  by  nature  and 
by  position  to  command  them? 

Myself. — I  believe  there  is  an  Irish  college 
in  this  city  ? 

Rector. — I  believe  there  is ;  but  it  does  not 
flourish,  there  are  fejv  or  no  pupils.     Oh ! 

I  looked  through  a  window,  at  a  great 
height,  and  saw  about  twenty  or  thirty  fine 
lads  sporting  in  a  court  below.  "  This  is  as 
it  should  be,"  said  I;  "those  boys  will  not 
make  worse  priests  from  a  little  early  devo- 
tion to  trap-ball  and  cudgel  playing.  I  dis- 
like a  staid,  serious,  puritanic  education,  as  I 
firmly  believe  that  it  encourages  vice  and 
hypocrisy." 

We  then  went  into  the  Rector's  room, 
where,  above  a  crucifix,  was  hanging  a  small 
portrait. 

Myself. — ^That  was  a  great  and  portentous 
man,  honest  withal.  I  believe  the  body  of 
which  he  was  the  founder,  and  which  has 
been  so  much  decried,  has  effected  infinitely 
more  good  than  it  has  caused  harm.- 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


31 


Hector. — What  do  I  hear  ?  You,  an  Eng- 
lishman and  a  Protestant,  and  yet  an  admirer 
of  Ignatius  Loyola ! 

Myself. — 1  will  say  nothing  with  respect  to 
the  doctrine  of  the  Jesuits,  for,  as  you  have 
observed,  I  am  a  Protestant;  but  I  am  ready 
to  assert  that  there  are  no  people  in  the  world 
better  qualifit'd,  upon  the  whole,  to  be  in- 
trusted with  the  education  of  youth.  Their 
moral  system  and  discipline  are  truly  admi- 
rable. Their  pupils,  in  after  life,  are  seldom 
■vicious  and  licentious  characters,  and  are  in 
general  men  of  learning,  science,  and  pos- 
sessed of  every  elegant  accomplishment.  I 
execrate  the  conduct  of  the  liberals  of  Madrid 
in  murdering  last  year  the  helpless  fathers, 
by  whose  care  and  instruction  two  of  the 
finest  minds  of  Spain  have  been  evolved — 
the  two  ornaments  of  the  liberal  cause  and 
modern  literature  of  Spain,  for  such  are  To- 
reno  and  Martinez  de  la  Rosa 


Gathered  in  small  clusters  about  the  pil- 
lars at  the  lower  extremities  of  the  Gold  and 
Silver  streets  in  Lisbon,  may  be  observed, 
about  noon  in  every  day,  certain  strange-look- 
ing men,  whose  appearance  is  neither  Portu- 
guese nor  European.  Their  dress  generally 
consists  of  a  red  cap,  with  a  blue  silken  tas- 
sel at  the  top  of  it,  a  blue  tunic  girded  at  the 
•waist  with  a  red  sash,  and  wide  linen  panta- 
loons or  trousers.  He  who  passes  by  these 
f roups  generally  hears  them  conversing  in 
roken  Spanish  or  Portuguese,  and  occasion- 
ally in  a  harsh  guttural  language,  w'hich  the 
oriental  traveller  knows  to  be  the  Arabic,  or  a 
dialect  thereof.  These  people  are  the  Jews 
of  Lisbon.  Into  the  midst  of  one  of  these 
groups  I  one  day  introduced  myself,  and  pro- 
nounced a  berrfka,  or  hlessing.  I  have  lived 
in  different  parts  of  the  world,  much  amongst 
the  Hebrew  race,  and  am  well  acquainted 
with  their  ways  and  phraseology.  I  was 
rather  anxious  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
tate  of  the  Portuguese  Jews,  and  I  had  now 
an  opportunity.  "The  man  is  a  powerful 
rabbi,"  said  a  voice  in  Arabic;  "it  behoves 
us  to  treat  him  kindly."  They  welcomed 
me.  I  favoured  their  mistake,  and  in  a  few 
days  I  knew  all  that  related  to  them  and  their 
traffic  in  Lisbon. 

1  found  them  a  vile,  infamous  rabble,  about 
two  hundred  in  number.  With  a  few  excep- 
tions, they  consist  of  escapados  from  the  Bar- 
bary  shore,  from  'J  etuan,  from  Tangier,  but 
principally  from  Mogadore;  fellows  who 
have  fled  to  a  foreign  land  from  the  punish- 
ment due  to  their  misdeeds.  Their  manner 
of  life  in  Lisbon  is  worthy  of  such  a  goodly 
assemblage  of  amis  rcunis.  The  generality 
of  them  pretend  to  work  in  gold  and  silver, 
and  keep  small  peddling  shops;  they,  how- 
ever, principally  depend  for  their  livelihood 
on  an  extensive  traihc  in  stolen  goods  which 
they  carry  on.  It  is  said  that  there  is  honour 
amongst  thieves,  but  this  is  certainly  not  the 
case  with  the  Jews  of  Lisbon,  for  they  are  so 
greedy  and  avaricious,  that  they  are  constantly 
quarrelling  about  their  ill-gotten  gain,  the  re- 


sult being  that  they  frequently  ruin  each  other. 
Their  mutual  jealousy  is  truly  extraordinary. 
If  one,  by  cheating  and  roguery,  gains  a 
cruzado  in  the  presence  of  another,  the  latter 
instantly  says,  "  I  cry  halves,"  and  if  the  first 
refuse,  he  is  instantly  threatened  with  an  in- 
formation. The  manner  in  which  they  cheat 
each  other  has,  with  all  its  infamy,  occasion- 
ally something  extremely  droll  and  ludicrous. 
I  was  one  day  in  the  shop  of  a  Swiri,  or  Je^ 
of  Mogadore,  when  a  Jew  from  Gibraltar  en- 
tered, with  a  Portuguese  female,  who  held  ia 
her  hand  a  mantle,  richly  embroidered  with 
gold. 

Gibraltar  Jew. — (Speaking  in  broken  Ara- 
bic.) Good-day,  O  Swiri;  God  has  favoured 
me  this  day;  here  is  a  bargain  by  which  we 
shall  both  gain.  I  have  bought  this  mantle 
of  the  woman  almost  for  nothing,  for  it  is 
stolen ;  but  I  am  poor,  as  you  know ;  I  have 
not  a  cruzado;  pay  her  therefore  the  price, 
that  we  may  then  forthwith  sell  the  mantle 
and  divide  the  gain. 

Swiri. — Willingly,  brother  of  Gibraltar;  I 
will  pay  the  woman  for  the  mantle;  it  does 
not  appear  a  bad  one. 

Thereupon  he  flung  two  cruzados  to  the 
woman,  who  forthwith  left  the  shop. 

Gibraltar  Jew. — Thanks,  brother  Swiri,  this 
is  very  kind  of  you.  Now  let  us  go  and  sell 
the  mantle;  the  gold  alone  is  well  worth  a 
moidore:  hut  I  am  poor,  and  have  nothing  to 
eat ;  give  me,  therefore,  the  half  of  that  sum, 
and  keep  the  mantle;  I  shall  be  content. 

Swiri. — May  Allah  blot  out  your  name,  you 
thief!  What  mean  you  by  asking  me  for 
money?  I  bought  the  mantle  of  the  woman, 
and  paid  for  it.  I  know  nothing  of  you.  Go 
out  of  my  doors,  dog  of  a  Nazarene  !  if  not,  I 
will  pay  you  with  a  kick. 

The  dispute  was  referred  to  one  of  the 
sabios,  or  priests;  but  the  sabio,  who  was 
also  from  Mogadore,  at  once  took  the  part  of 
the  Swiri,  and  decided  that  the  other  should 
have  nothing.  Whereupon  the  Gibraltar  Jew 
cursed  the  sabio,  his  father,  mother,  and  all 
his  family.  The  sabio  replied,  "  I  put  you  in 
ndui,"  a  kind  of  purgatory,  or  hell.  "I  put 
you  in  seven  ndnis,"  retorted  the  incensed 
Jew,  over  whom,  however,  superstitious  fear 
speedily  prevailed  ;  he  faltered,  became  pale, 
and,  dropping  his  voice,  retreated,  trembling 
in  every  limb. 

The  Jews  have  two  synagogues  in  Lisbon  : 
both  are  small;  one  is,  however,  tolerably 
well  furnished;  it  has  its  reading-desk,  and 
in  the  middle  there  is  a  rather  handsome  chan- 
delier; the  other  is  little  better  than  a  sty, 
filthy  to  a  degree,  without  ornament  of  any 
kind.  The  congregation  of  this  last  are 
thieves  to  a  man ;  no  Jew  of  the  slightest  re- 
spectability ever  enters  it. 

How  well  do  superstition  and  crime  go 
1  hand  in  hand  !  These  wretched  beings  break 
the  eternal  commandments  of  their  Maker 
without  scruple;  but  they  will  not  partake  of 
the  beast  of  the  uncloven  foot  and  the  fish 
which  has  no  scales.  They  pay  no  regard  to 
the  denunciations  of  holy  prophets  against  the 


8S 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


children  of  sin,  but  they  quake  at  the  sound 
of  a  dark  cabalistic  word,  pronounced  by  one 
perhaps  their  equal  or  superior  in  villany,  as 
if  God  would  delegate  the  exercise  of  his 
power  to  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

IwasonedaysaunteringontheCasidrea,when 
a  Jew,  with  whom  I  had  previously  exchanged 
a  word  or  two,  came  up  and  addressed  me. 

Jew. — The  blessing  of  God  upon  you,  bro- 
ther I  I  know  you  to  be  a  wise  and  powerful 
man,  and  I  have  conceived  much  regard  for 
you  ;  it  is  on  that  account  that  I  wish  to  put 
you  in  the  way  of  gaining  much  money. 
Come  with  me,  and  I  will  conduct  you  to  a 
place  where  there  are  forty  chests  of  tea.  It  is 
asereka,(arobbery,)  and  the  thieves  are  willing 
to  dispose  of  it  for  a  trifle,  for  there  is  search 
being  made,  and  they  are  in  much  fear.  I  can 
raise  one-half  of  what  they  demand ;  do  you 
supply  the  other:  we  will  then  divide  it.  each 
shall  go  his  own  way  and  dispose  of  his  portion. 


Myself. — Wherefore,  O  son  of  Arbat,  do 
you  propose  this  to  me,  who  am  a  stranger? 
Surely  you  are  mad.  Have  you  not  your  own 
people  about  you,  whom  you  know,  and  in 
whom  you  can  confide] 

Jew. — It  is  because  I  know  our  people  here 
that  1  do  not  confide  in  them;  we  are  in  the 
galoot  of  sin.  Were  I  to  confide  in  my  bre- 
thren, there  would  be  a  dispute,  and  perhaps 
they  would  rob  me;  and  few  of  them  have 
any  money.  Were  1  to  apply  to  the  sabio,  he 
might  consent,  but  when  1  ask  for  rny  portion 
he  would  put  ine  in  ndui.  You  1  do  not  fear; 
you  are  good,  and  would  do  me  no  harm,  un- 
less I  attempted  to  deceive  you,  and  that  I 
dare  not  do,  for  I  know  you  are  powerful. 
Come  with  me,  master,  for  I  wish  to  gain 
something,  that  I  may  return  to  Arbat,  where 
I  have  children  .... 

Such  are  Jews  in  Lisbon. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Cold  of  Portugal-^Extortion  prevented — Sensation  of  Loneliness — The  Dog— The  Convent — En- 
chanting Landscape — Moorish  Fortresses — Prayer  for  the  iSick. 


About  a  fortnight  after  my  return  from 
Evora,  having  made  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions, I  set  out  on  my  journey  for  Badajoz, 
from  which  town  I  intended  to  take  the  dili- 
gence to  Madrid.  Badajoz  lies  about  a  hun- 
dred miles  distant  from  Lisbon,  and  is  the 
principal  frontier  town  of  Spain  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Alemtejo.  To  reach  this  place,  it 
was  necessary  to  retravel  the  road  as  far  as 
Monte  iMoro,  which  I  had  already  passed 
in  my  excursion  to  Evora;  I  had  therefore 
very  little  pleasure  to  anticipate  from  novelty 
of  scenery.  Moreover,  in  this  journey  I  should 
be  a  solitary  traveller,  with  no  other  compa- 
nion than  the  muleteer,  as  it  was  my  intention 
to  take  my  servant  no  farther  than  Aldea  Gal- 
lega,  for  which  place  I  started  at  four  in  the 
afternoon.  W'arned  by  former  experience,  I 
did  not  now  embark  in  a  small  boat,  but  in 
one  of  the  regular  passage  felouks,  in  which 
•we  reached  Aldea  Gallega,  after  a  voyage  of 
six  hours ;  for  the  boat  was  heavy,  there  was 
no  wind  to  propel  it,  and  the  crew  were 
obliged  to  ply  their  huge  oars  the  whole  way. 
In  a  word,  this  passage  was  the  reverse  of  the 
first, — safe  in  every  respect,  but  so  sluggish 
and  tiresome  that  I  a  hundred  times  wished 
myself  again  under  the  guidance  of  the  wild 
lad,  galloping  before  the  hurricane  over  the 
foaming  billows.  From  eight  till  ten  the  cold 
was  truly  terrible;  and  though  I  was  closely 
wrapped  in  an  excellent  fur  "shoob,"  with 
which  I  had  braved  the  frosts  of  Russian  win- 
ters, I  shivered  in  every  limb,  and  was  far 
more  rejoiced  when  I  again  set  my  foot  on  the 
Alemtejo,  than  when  I  landed  for  the  first 
time,  after  having  escaped  the  horrors  of  the 
tempest. 

I  took  up  my  quarters  for  the  night  at  a 


house  to  which  my  friend  who  feared  the 
darkness  had  introduced  me  on  my  return 
from  Evora,  and  where,  though  I  paid  merci- 
lessly dear  for  every  thing,  the  accommoda- 
tion was  superior  to  that  of  the  common  inn 
in  the  square.  My  first  care  now  was  to  inquire 
for  mules  to  convey  myself  and  baggage  to 
Elvas,  from  whence  there  are  but  three  short 
leagues  to  the  Spanish  town  of  Badajoz.  The 
people  of  the  house  informed  me  that  they 
had  an  excellent  pair  at  my  disposal,  but 
when  I  inquired  the  price,  they  were  not 
ashamed  to  demand  four  moidores.  I  offered 
them  three,  which  was  too  much,  but  which, 
however,  they  did  net  accept,  for  knowing  me 
to  be  an  Englishman,  they  thought  they  had 
an  excellent  opportunity  to  practice  imposi- 
tion, not  imagining  that  a  person  so  rich  as  an 
Englishman  must  be,  would  go  out  in  a  cold 
night  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  a  reasonable 
bargain.  They  were,  however,  much  mis- 
taken, as  I  told  them  that  rather  than  encourage 
them  in  their  knavery  I  should  be  content  to 
return  to  Lisbon;  whereupon  they  dropped 
their  demand  to  three  and  a  half,  but  I  made 
them  no  answer,  and  going  out  with  Antonio, 
proceeded  to  the  house  of  the  old  man  who 
had  accompanied  us  to  Evora.  We  knocked 
a  considerable  time,  for  he  was  in  bed ;  at 
length  he  arose  and  admitted  us,  but  on  hear- 
ing our  object,  he  said  that  his  mules  were 
again  gone  to  Evora,  under  the  charge  of  the 
boy  for  the  purpose  of  transporting  some  arti- 
cles of  merchandise.  He,  however,  recom- 
mended Its  to  a  person  in  the  neighbourhood 
who  kept  mules  for  hire,  and  there  Antonio 
engaged  two  fine  beasts  for  two  moidores  and 
a  half.  I  say  he  engaged  them,  for  I  stood 
aloof  and  spoke  not,  and  the  proprietor,  who 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


33 


exhibited  tliem,  and  who  stood  half-dressed, 
•with  a  lamp  in  his  hand  and  shivering'  with 
cold,  was  not  aware  that  they  were  intended 
for  a  foreigner  till  the  agreement  was  made, 
and  he  had  received  a  part  of  the  sum  in 
earnest.  I  returned  to  the  inn  well  pleased, 
and  having  taken  some  refreshment,  went  to 
rest,  paying  little  attention  to  the  people,  who 
glanced  daggers  at  me  from  their  small  Jew- 
ish eyes. 

At  five  the  next  morning  the  mules  were  at 
the  door;  a  lad  of  some  nineteen  or  twenty- 
years  of  age  attended  them;  he  was  short 
but  exceedingly  strong  built,  and  possessed 
the  largest  head  which  I  ever  beheld  upon 
mortal  shoulders ;  neck  he  had  none,  at  least 
I  could  discern  nothing  which  could  be  enti- 
tled to  that  name.  His  features  were  hide- 
ously ugly,  and  upon  addressing  him  I  dis- 
covered that  he  was  an  idiot.  Such  was  my 
intended  companion  in  a  journey  of  nearly 
a  hundred  miles,  which  would  occupy  four 
days,  and  which  lay  over  the  most  savage 
and  ill  noted  track  in  the  whole  kingdom.  I 
took  leave  of  my  servant  almost  with  tears, 
for  he  had  always  served  me  with  the  greatest 
fidelity,  and  had  exhibited  an  assiduity  and 
a  wish  to  please  which  afl'orded  me  the  ut- 
most satisfaction. 

We  started,  my  uncouth  guide  sitting  tailor- 
fashion  on  the  sumpter  mule  upon  the  bag- 
gage. The  moon  had  just  gone  down,  and 
the  morning  was  pitchy  dark,  and,  as  usual, 
piercingly  cold.  We  soon  entered  the  dis- 
mal wood,  which  I  had  already  traversed,  and 
through  which  we  wended  our  way  for  some 
time,  slowly  and  mournfully.  Not  a  sound 
was  to  be  heard  save  the  trampling  of  the 
animals,  not  a  breath  of  air  moved  the  leaf- 
less branches,  no  animal  stirred  in  the  thick- 
ets, no  bird,  not  even  the  owl,  flew  over  our 
heads,  all  seemed  desolate  and  dead,  and  dur- 
ing my  many  and  far  wanderings,  I  never  ex- 
perienced a  greater  sensation  of  loneliness, 
and  a  greater  desire  for  conversation  and  an 
exchange  of  ideas  than  then.  To  speak  to 
the  idiot  was  useless,  for  though  competent  to 
show  the  road,  with  which  he  was  well  ac- 
quainted, he  had  no  other  answer  than  an  un- 
couth laugh  to  any  question  put  to  him.  Thus 
situated,  like  many  other  persons  when  hu- 
man comfort  is  not  at  hand,  I  turned  ray  heart 
to  God,  and  began  to  commune  with  him,  the 
result  of  which  was  that  my  mind  soon  be- 
came quieted  and  comforted. 

We  passed  on  our  way  uninterrupted ;  no 
thieves  showed  themselves,  nor  indeed  did 
we  see  a  single  individual  till  we  arrived  at 
Pcgoens,  and  from  thence  to  Vendas  Novas 
our  fortune  was  the  same.  I  was  welcomed 
with  great  kindness  by  the  people  of  the 
hostelry  of  the  latter  place,  who  were  well 
acquainted  with  me,  on  account  of  my  having 
twice  passed  the  night  under  their  roof.  The 
name  of  the  keeper  of  this  inn  is,  or  was, 
Jose  Dias  Azido,  and  unlike  the  generality 
of  those  of  the  same  profession  as  himself  in 
Portugal,  he  is  an  honest  man,  and  a  stranger 
and  foreigner  who  takes  up  his  quarters  at  his 
5 


inn,  may  rest  assured  that  he  will  not  be  most 
unmercifully  pillaged  and  cheated  when  the 
hour  of  reckoning  shall  arrive,  as  he  will  not 
be  charged  a  single  re  more  than  a  native 
Portuguese  on  a  similar  occasion.  I  paid  at 
this  place  exactly  one  half  of  the  sum  which 
was  demanded  from  me  at  Arroyolos,  where 
I  passed  the  ensuing  night,  and  where  the  ac- 
commodation was  in  every  respect  inferior. 

At  twelve  next  day  we  arrived  at  Monte 
Moro,  and,  as  I  was  not  pressed  for  time,  I 
determined  upon  viewing  the  ruins  which 
cover  the  top  and  middle  part  of  the  stately 
hill  with  towers  above  the  town.  Having 
ordered  some  refreshments  at  the  inn  where 
we  dismounted,  I  ascended  till  I  arrived  at  a 
large  wall  or  rampart,  which,  at  a  certain  al- 
titude embraces  the  whole  hill.  I  crossed 
a  rude  bridge  of  stones,  which  bestrides  a 
small  hollow  or  trench ;  and  passing  by  a 
large  tower,  entered  through  a  portal  into  the 
inclosed  part  of  the  hill.  On  the  left  hand 
stood  a  church,  in  good  preservation,  and 
still  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  religion,  but 
which  I  could  not  enter,  as  the  door  was 
locked,  and  I  saw  no  one  at  hand  to  open  it. 

I  soon  found  that  my  curiosity  had  led  me 
to  a  most  extraordinary  place,  which  quite 
beggars  the  scanty  powers  of  description 
with  which  I  am  gifted.  I  stumbled  on 
amongst  ruined  w^alls,  and  at  one  time  found 
I  was  treading  over  vaults,  as  I  suddenly 
started  back  from  a  yawning  orifice  into 
which  my  next  step,  as  I  strolled  musing 
along,  would  have  precipitated  me.  I  pro- 
ceeded for  a  considerable  way  by  the  eastern 
wall,  till  I  heard  a  tremendous  bark,  and 
presently  an  immense  dog,  such  as  those 
which  guard  the  flocks  in  the  neighbourhood 
against  the  wolves,  came  bounding  to  attack 
me  "  with  eyes  that  glowed  and  fangs  that 
grinned."  Had  I  retreated,  or  had  recourse 
to  any  other  mode  of  defence  than  that  which 
I  invariably  practice  under  such  ciriium- 
stances,  he  would  probably  have  worried  me ; 
but  I  stooped  till  my  chin  nearly  touched  my 
knee,  and  looked  him  full  in  the  eyes,  and, 
as  John  Leyden  says,  in  the  noblest  ballad 
which  the  Land  of  Heather  has  produced : — 

"  The  hound  he  yowled  and  back  he  fled, 
As  struck  with  iairy  charm." 

It  is  a  fact  known  to  many  people,  and  I 
believe  it  has  been  frequently  stated,  that  no 
large  and  fierce  dog  or  animal  of  any  kind, 
with  the  exception  of  the  bull,  which  shuts 
his  eyes  and  rushes  blindly  forward,  will 
venture  to  attack  an  individual  who  confronts 
it  with  a  firm  and  motionless  countenance.  I 
say  large  and  fierce,  for  it  is  much  easier  to 
repel  a  bloodhound  or  bear  of  Finland  in  this 
manner  than  a  dunghill  cur  or  a  terrier,  against 
which  a  stick  or  a  stone  is  a  much  more  cer- 
tain defence.  This  will  astonish  no  one  who 
considers  that  the  calm  reproving  glance  of 
reason,  which  allays  the  excesses  of  the 
mighty  and  courageous  in  our  own  species, 
has  seldom  any  other  effect  than  to  add  to  the 
insolence  of  the  feeble  and  foolish,  who  be- 


34 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


come  placid  as  doves  upon  the  infliction  of 
chastisements,  which,  if  atlpmpted  to  be  ap- 
plied to  the  former,  would  only  serve  to  ren- 
der them  more  terrible,  and,  like  gunpowder 
cast  on  a  flame,  cause  them  in  mad  desperation 
to  scatter  destruction  around  them. 

The  barking'  of  the  door  brought  out  from 
a  kind  of  alley  an  elderly  man,  whom  I  sup- 
posed to  be  his  master,  and  of  whom  I  made 
some  inquiries  respecting  the  place.  The 
man  was  civil,  and  informed  me  that  he  served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  British  army,  under  "the 
great  lord,"  during  the  Peninsular  war.  He 
said  that  there  was  a  convent  of  nuns  a  little 
further  on,  which  he  would  show  me,  and  there- 
upon led  the  way  to  the  south-east  part  of 
the  wall,  where  stood  a  large  dilapidated 
edifice. 

We  entered  a  dark  stone  apartment,  at  one 
corner  of  which  was  a  kind  of  window  occu- 
pied by  a  turning  table,  at  which  articles  were 
received  into  the  convent  or  delivered  out. 
He  rang  the  bell,  and,  without  saying  a  word, 
retired,  leaving  me  rather  perplexed ;  but 
presently  I  heard,  though  the  speaker  was  in- 
visible, a  soft  feminine  voice  demanding  who 
I  was,  and  what  I  wanted.  I  replied  that  I 
was  an  Englishman  travelling  into  Spain,  and 
that  passing  through  Monte  Moro  I  had  as- 
cended the  hill  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the 
ruins.  The  voice  then  said,  *'  I  suppose  you  are 
a  military  man  going  to  fight  against  the  king, 
liketherestof  yourcountrymen."  "No,"  said 
1,  "I  am  not  a  military  man,  but  a  Christian, 
and  I  go  not  to  shed  blood,  but  to  endeavour  to 
introduce  the  gospel  of  Christ  into  a  country 
where  it  is  not  known ;"  whereupon  there 
was  a  stifled  titter.  I  then  inquired  if  there 
were  any  copies  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in 
the  convent,  but  the  friendly  voice  could  give 
rae  no  information  on  that  point,  and  I  scarce- 
ly believe  that  its  possessor  understood  the 
purport  of  my  question.  It  informed  me,  that 
the  office  of  lady  abbess  of  the  house  was  an 
annual  one,  and  that  every  year  there  was  a 
fresh  superior.  On  my  inquiring  whether  the 
nuns  did  not  frequently  find  the  time  exceed- 
ingly heavy  on  their  hands,  it  stated  that, 
when  they  had  nothing  better  to  do  they  em- 
ployed themselves  in  making  cheesecakes, 
which  were  disposed  of  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. I  thanked  the  voice  for  its  communi- 
cations, and  walked  away.  Whilst  proceed- 
ing under  the  wall  of  the  house  towards  the 
south-west,  I  heard  a  fresh  and  louder  titter- 
ing above  my  head,  and  looking  up,  saw  three 
or  four  windows  crowded  with  dusky  faces 
and  black  waving  hair;  these  belonged  to  the 
nuns,  anxious  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  stranger. 
After  kissing  my  hand  repeatedly,  I  moved 
on,  and  soon  arrived  at  the  south-west  end  of 
this  mountain  of  curiosities.  There  I  found 
the  remains  of  a  large  building,  which  seemed 
to  have  been  originally  erected  in  the  shape  of 
a  cross.  A  tower  at  its  eastern  entrance  was 
still  entire;  the  western  side  was  quite  in  ruins, 
and  stood  on  the  verge  of  the  hill  overlooking 
the  valley  at  the  bottom  of  which  ran  the  stream 
I  have  spoken  of  on  a  former  occasion. 


The  day  was  intensely  hot,  notwithstand 
ing  the  coldness  of  the  preceding  nights;  and 
the  brilliant  sun  of  Portugal  now  illumined  a 
landscape  of  entrancing  beauty.  Groves  of 
cork  trees  covered  the  farther  side  of  the 
valley  and  the  distant  acclivities,  exhibiting 
here  and  there  charming  vistas,  where  various 
flocks  of  cattle  were  feeding;  the  soft  mur- 
mur of  the  stream,  which  was  at  intervals 
chafed  and  broken  by  huge  stones,  ascended 
to  my  ears  and  filled  my  mind  with  delicious 
feelings.  I  sat  down  on  the  broken  wall,  and 
remained  gazing,  and  listening,  and  shedding 
tears  of  rapture;  for,  of  all  the  pleasures 
which  a  bountiful  God  permitteth  his  children 
to  enjoy,  none  are  so  dear  to  some  hearts  as 
the  music  of  forests  and  streams,  and  the 
view  of  the  beauties  of  his  glorious  creation. 
An  hour  elapsed,  and  I  still  maintained  my 
seat  on  the  wall ;  the  past  scenes  of  my  life 
flitting  before  my  eyes  in  airy  and  fantastic 
array,  through  which  every  now  and  then 
peeped  trees  and  hills  and  other  patches  of 
the  real  landscape  which  I  was  confronting  ; 
the  sun  burned  my  visage,  but  I  heeded  it 
not;  and  I  believe  that  I  should  have  re- 
mained till  night,  buried  in  these  reveries, 
which,  I  confess,  only  serve  to  enervate  the 
mind,  and  steal  many  a  minute  which  might 
be  most  profitably  employed,  had  not  the  re- 
port of  the  gun  of  a  fowler  in  the  valley, 
which  awakened  the  echoes  of  the  woods, 
hills,  and  ruins,  caused  me  to  start  on  my 
feet,  and  remember  that  I  had  to  proceed  three 
leagues  before  I  could  reach  the  hostelry 
where  I  intended  to  pass  the  night. 

I  bent  ray  steps  to  the  inn,  passing  along 
a  kind  of  rampart;  shortly  before  I  reached 
the  portal,  which  I  have  already  mentioned, 
I  observed  a  kind  of  vault  on  my  right  hand, 
scooped  out  of  the  side  of  the  hill ;  its  roof 
was  supported  by  three  pillars,  though  part 
of  it  had  given  way  towards  the  farther  end, 
so  that  the  light  was  admitted  through  a 
chasm  in  the  top.  It  might  have  been  in- 
tended for  a  chapel,  a  dungeon,  or  a  cemetery, 
but  I  should  rather  think  for  the  latter;  one 
thing  I  am  certain  of,  that  it  was  not  the 
work  of  Moorish  hands,  and  indeed  through- 
out my  wandering  in  this  place  I  saw  nothing 
which  reminded  me  of  that  most  singular 
people.  The  hill  on  which  the  ruins  stand 
was  doubtless  originally  a  strong  fortress  of 
the  Moors,  who,  upon  their  first  irruption 
into  the  peninsula,  seized  and  fortified  most 
of  the  lofty  and  naturally  strong  positions, 
but  they  had  probably  lost  it  at  an  early 
period,  so  that  the  broken  walls  and  edifices, 
which  at  present  cover  the  hill,  are  probably 
remains  of  the  labours  of  the  Christians 
after  the  place  had  been  rescued  from  the 
hands  of  the  terrible  enemies  of  their  faith. 
Monte  Moro  will  perhaps  recall  Cintra  to  the 
mind  of  the  traveller,  as  it  exhibits  a  distant 
resemblance  to  that  place ;  nevertheless,  there 
is  something  in  Cintra  wild  and  savage,  to 
which  Monte  Moro  has  no  pretension:  its 
scathed  and  gigantic  crags  are  piled  upon  each 
other  in  a  manner  which  seems  to  menace 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


35 


headlong  destruction  to  whatever  is  in  the 

neighbourhood ;  and  the  ruins  which  still 
cling  to  those  crags  seem  more  like  eagles' 
nesis  than  the  remains  of  the  habitations  even 
of  Moors;  whereas  those  of  Monte  Moro 
Btand  comparatively  at  their  ease  on  the  broad 
back  of  a  hill,  which,  though  stalely  and 
commanding,  has  no  crags  nor  precipices, 
and  which  can  be  ascended  on  every  side 
■without  mucb  difficulty :  yet  I  was  much 
gratified  by  my  visit,  and  1  shall  wander  far 
indeed  before  1  forget  the  voice  in  the  dilapi- 
dated convent,  the  ruined  walls  amongst 
which  I  strayed,  and  the  rampart,  where, 
sunk  in  dreamy  rapture,  I  sat  during  a  bright 
sunny  hour  at  Monte  Moro. 

I  returned  to  the  inn,  where  I  refreshed 
myself  with  tea  and  very  sweet  and  delicious 
cheesecakes,  the  handiwork  of  the  nuns  in 
the  convent  above.  Observing  gloom  and 
unhappiness  on  the  countenances  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  house,  I  inquired  the  reason  of  the 
hostess,  who  sat  almost  motionless  on  the 
hearth  hy  the  fire ;  whereupon  she  informed 
me  that  her  husband  was  deadly  sick  with  a 


disorder  which,  from  her  description,  I  sup- 
posed to  be  a  species  of  cholera;  she  added, 
that  the  surgeon  who  attended  him  enter- 
tained no  hopes  of  his  recovery.  I  replied 
that  it  was  quite  in  the  power  of  God  to 
restore  her  husband  in  a  few  hours  from  the 
verge  of  the  grave  to  health  and  vigour,  and 
that  it  was  her  duty  to  pray  to  that  Omnipo- 
tent Being  with  all  fervency.  I  added,  that 
if  she  did  not  know  how  to  pray  upon  such 
an  occasion,  I  was  ready  to  pray  for  her, 
provided  she  would  join  in  the  spirit  of  the 
supplication.  I  then  offered  up  a  short  prayer 
in  Portuguese,  in  which  I  entreated  the  Lord 
to  remove,  if  he  thought  proper,  the  burden 
of  affliction  under  which  the  family  was 
labouring. 

The  woman  listened  attentively,  with  her 
hands  devoutly  clasped,  until  the  prayer  was 
finished,  and  then  gazed  at  me  seemingly 
with  astonishment,  but  uttered  no  word  by 
which  I  could  gather  that  she  was  pleased 
or  displeased  with  what  I  had  said.  I  now 
bade  the  family  farewell,  and  having  mounted 
my  mule,  set  forward  to  Arroyolos. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

The  Druids'  Stone — The  Young  Spaniard — Ruffianly  Soldiers — Evils  of  War — Estrenioz — The 
Brawl — Ruined  Watch- Tower — Glimpse  of  Spain — Old  Times  and  New. 


After  proceeding  about  a  league  and  a 
half,  a  blast  came  booming  from  the  north, 
rolling  before  it  immense  clouds  of  dust; 
happily  it  did  not  blow  in  our  faces,  or  it 
W'ould  have  been  difficult  to  proceed,  so  great 
was  its  violence.  We  had  left  the  road  in 
order  to  take  advantage  of  one  of  those  short 
cuts,  which,  though  passable  for  a  horse  or  a 
mule,  are  far  too  rough  to  permit  any  species 
of  carriage  to  travel  along  them.  We  were 
in  the  midst  of  sands,  brushwood,  and  huge 
pieces  of  rock,  which  thickly  studded  the 
ground.  These  are  the  stones  which  form 
the  sierras  of  Spain  and  Portugal ;  those  sin- 
gular mountains  which  rise  in  naked  horrid- 
Tiess,  like  the  ribs  of  some  mighty  carcass 
from  which  the  flesh  has  been  torn.  Many 
of  these  stones,  or  rocks,  grew  out  of  the 
earth,  and  many  lay  on  its  surface  unattach- 
ed, perhaps  wrested  from  their  bed  by  the 
waters  of  the  deluge.  W"hilst  toiling  along 
these  wild  wastes,  I  observed,  a  little  way  to 
my  left,  a  pile  of  stones  of  rather  a  singular 
appearance,  and  rode  up  to  it.  It  was  a 
druidical  altar,  and  the  most  perfect  and 
beautiful  one  of  the  kind  which  I  had  ever 
seen.  It  was  circular,  and  consisted  of  stones 
immensely  large  and  heavy  at  the  bottom, 
which  towards  the  top  became  thinner  and 
thinner,  having  been  fashioned  by  the  hand 
of  art  to  something  of  the  shape  of  scollop 
shells.  These  were  surmounted  by  a  very 
large  flat  stone,  which  slanted  down  towards 
the  south,  where  was  a  door.    Three  or  four 


[  individuals  might  have  taken  shelter  within 
the  interior,  in  which  was  growing  a  small 
thorn  tree. 

I  gazed  with  reverence  and  awe  upon  the 
pile  where  the  first  colonists  of  Europe  offered 
their  worship  to  the  unknown  God.  The 
temples  of  the  mighty  and  skilful  Roman, 
comparatively  of  modern  date,  have  crumbled 
to  dust  in  its  neighbourhood.  The  churches 
of  the  Arian  Goth,  his  successor  in  power, 
have  sunk  beneath  the  earth,  and  are  not  to 
be  found ;  and  the  mosques  of  the  Moor,  the 
conqueror  of  the  Goth,  where  and  what  are 
they  1  Upon  the  rock,  masses  of  hoary  and 
vanishing  ruin.  Not  so  the  Druid's  stone; 
there  it  stands  on  the  hill  of  winds,  as  strong 
and  as  freshly  new  as  the  day,  perhaps  thirty- 
centuries  back,  when  it  was  first  raised,  by 
means  which  are  a  mystery.  Earthquakes 
have  heaved  it,  but  its  cope-stone  has  not 
fallen ;  rain  floods  have  deluged  it,  but  failed 
to  sweep  it  from  its  station;  the  burning  sun 
has  flashed  upon  it,  but  neither  split  nor 
crumbled  it;  and  time,  stern  old  time,  has 
rubbea  it  with  his  iron  tooth,  and  with  what 
effect  let  those  who  view  it  declare.  There  it 
stands,  and  he  who  wishes  to  study  the  litera- 
ture, the  learning,  and  the  history  of  the  na- 
cient  Celt  and  Cymbrian,  may  gaze  on  itsi 
broad  covering,  and  glean  from  that  blank 
stone  the  whole  known  amount.  The  Roman 
has  left  behind  him  his  deathless  writings, 
his  history,  and  his  songs;  the  Goth  his 
liturgy,  his  traditions,  and  the  germs  of  noble 


36 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN". 


institutions;  the  Moor  his  chivalry,  his  dis- 
coveries in  medicine,  and  the  foundations  of 
modern  commerce ;  and  where  is  the  memo- 
rial of  the  Druidic  races!    Yonder:  that  pile  ; 
of  eternal  stone !  | 

We  arrived  at  Arroyolos  about  seven  at ' 
night.  I  took  possession  of  a  large  two-  1 
bedded  room,  and,  as  I  was  preparing  to  sit ' 
down  to  supper,  the  hostess  came  to  inquire 
whether  I  had  any  objection  to  receive  a 
young  Spaniard  for  the  night.  She  said  he 
had  just  arrived  with  a  train  of  muleteers,  and 
that  she  had  no  other  room  in  which  she  could 
lodge  him.  I  replied  that  I  was  willing,  and 
in  about  half  an  hour  he  made  his  appearance, 
having  first  supped  with  his  companions. 
He  was  a  very  gentlemanly,  good-looking 
lad  of  seventeen.  He  addressed  me  in  his 
native  language,  and,  finding  that  I  under- 
stood him,  he  commenced  talking  with  asto- 
nishing volubility.  In  the  space  of  five 
minutes  he  informed  me  that,  having  a  desire 
to  see  the  world,  he  had  run  away  from  his 
friends,  who  were  people  of  opulence  at 
Madrid,  and  that  he  did  not  intend  to  return 
until  he  had  travelled  through  various  coun- 
tries. I  told  him  that  if  what  he  said  was 
true,  he  had  done  a  very  wicked  and  foolish 
action;  wicked,  because  he  must  have  over- 
whelmed those  with  grief  whom  he  was 
bound  to  honour  and  love,  and  foolish,  inas- 
much as  he  was  going  to  expose  himself  to 
inconceivable  miseries  and  hardships,  which 
would  shortly  cause  him  to  rue  the  step  he 
had  taken ;  that  he  would  be  only  welcome 
in  foreign  countries  so  long  as  he  had  money 
to  spend,  and  when  he  had  none,  he  would 
be  repulsed  as  a  vagabond,  and  would  per- 
haps be  allowed  to  perish  of  hunger.  He 
replied  that  he  had  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  with  him,  no  less  than  a  hundred 
dollars,  which  would  last  him  a  long  time, 
and  that  when  it  was  spent  he  should  perhaps 
be  able  to  obtain  more.  "  Your  hundred  dol- 
lars," said  I,  "  will  scarcely  last  you  three 
months  in  the  country  in  which  you  are,  even 
if  it  be  not  stolen  from  you ;  and  you  may  as 
well  hope  to  gather  money  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  as  expect  to  procure  more  by  ho- 
nourable means."  But  he  had  not  yet  suffi- 
ciently drank  of  the  cup  of  experience  to 
attend  much  to  what  I  said,  and  I  soon  after 
changed  the  subject.  About  five  next  morn- 
ing he  came  to  my  bed-side  to  take  leave,  as 
his  muleteers  were  preparing  to  depart.  I 
gave  him  the  usual  Spanish  valediction, 
( Vnya  usted  con  Dios,)  and  saw  no  more  of 
him. 

At  nine,  after  having  paid  a  most  exorbitant 
sum  for  slight  accommodation,  I  started  from 
Arroyolos,  which  is  a  town  or  large  village 
situated  on  very  elevated  ground,  and  discerni- 
ble afar  off.  It  can  boast  of  the  remains  of  a 
large,  ancient,  and  seemingly  Moorish  castle, 
which  stands  on  a  hill  on  the  left  as  you  take 
the  road  to  Estremoz. 

About  a  mile  from  Arroyolos  I  overtook  a 
train  of  carts,  escorted  by  a  number  of  Portu- 
guese soldiers,  conveying  stores  and  ammu- 


nition into  Spain.  Six  or  seven  of  these  sol- 
diers marched  a  considerable  way  in  front; 
they  were  villanous-looking  ruffi.ins,  upon 
whose  livid  and  ghastly  countenances  were 
written  murder,  and  all  the  other  crimes 
which  the  decalogue  forbids.  As  I  passed  by, 
one  of  them,  wiih  a  harsh,  croaking  voice, 
commenced  cursing  all  foreigners.  "There," 
said  he,  "  is  this  Frenchman  riding  on  horse- 
back," (I  was  on  a  mule,)  "  with  a  man" 
(the  idiot)  "to  take  care  of  him,  and  all  be- 
cause he  is  rich  ;  whilst  I,  who  am  a  poor  sol- 
dier, am  obliged  to  tramp  on  foot.  I  could 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  shoot  him  dead,  for  in 
what  respect  is  he  better  than  1 1  But  he  is 
a  foreigner,  and  the  devil  helps  foreigners  and 
hates  the  Portusruese."  He  continued  shout- 
ing his  remarks  until  1  got  about  forty  yards 
in  advance,  when  I  commenced  laughing;  but 
it  would  have  been  more  prudent  in  me  to 
have  held  my  peace,  for  the  next  moment, 
with  bang — bang,  two  bullets,  well  aimed, 
came  whizzing  past  my  ears.  A  small  river 
lay  just  before  me,  though  the  bridge  was  a 
considerable  way  on  my  left.  I  spurred  my 
animal  through  it,  closely  followed  by  the  ter- 
rified guide, and  commenced  galloping  along  a 
sandy  plain  on  the  other  side,  and  so  escaped 
with  my  life. 

These  fellows,  with  the  look  of  banditti, 
were  in  no  respect  better;  and  the  traveller 
who  should  meet  them  in  a  solitary  place  would 
have  little  reason  to  bless  his  good  fortune. 
One  of  the  carriers,  (all  of  whom  were  Spa- 
niards from  the  neighbourhood  of  Badajoz,  and 
had  been  despatched  into  Portugal  for  the 
purpose  of  conveying  the  stores,)  whom  I  af- 
terwards met  in  the  aforesaid  town,  informed 
me  that  the  whole  party  were  equally  bad,  and 
that  he  and  his  companions  had  been  plunder- 
ed by  them  of  various  articles,  and  threatened 
with  death  if  they  attempted  tocomplain.  How 
frightful  to  figure  to  oneself  an  army  of  such 
beings  in  a  foreign  land,  sent  thither  either  to 
invade  or  defend  ;  and  yet  Spain,  at  the  time  I 
am  writing  this,  is  looking  forward  to  armed 
assistance  from  Portugal.  May  the  Lord  ia 
his  mercy  grant  that  the  soldiers  who  proceed 
to  her  assistance  may  be  of  a  different  stamp  : 
and  yet,  from  the  lax  stateof  discipline  which 
exists  in  the  Portuguese  army,  in  comparison 
with  that  of  England  and  France,  I  am  afraid 
that  the  inoffensive  population  of  the  disturb- 
ed provinces  will  say  that  wolves  have  been 
summoned  to  chase  away  foxes  from  the  sheep- 
fold.  O !  may  I  live  to  see  the  day  when 
soldiery  will  no  lonjer  be  tolerated  in  any  ci- 
vilized, or  at  least  Christian,  country! 

I  pursued  my  route  to  Estremoz,  passing  by 
Monte  Moro  Novo,  which  is  a  tall,  dusky  hill, 
surmounted  by  an  ancient  edifice,  probably 
Moorish.  The  country  was  dreary  and  de- 
serted, but  offering  here  and  there  a  valley 
studded  with  cork  trees  and  azinheiras.  After 
mid-day  the  wind,  which  during  the  night  and 
morning  had  much  abated,  again  blew  with 
such  violence  as  nearly  to  deprive  me  of  ray 
senses,  though  it  was  still  in  our  rear. 
I  was  heartily  glad  when,  on  ascending  a 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


37 


rising  ground,  at  about  four  o'clock,  I  saw 
Estremoz  on  its  hill  at  something  less  than  a 
league's  distance.  Here  the  view  became 
wildly  interesting  ;  the  sun  was  sinking  in  the 
midst  of  red  and  stormy  clouds,  and  its  rays 
were  reflected  on  the  dun  walls  of  the  lofty 
town  to  which  we  were  wending.  Not  far 
distant  to  the  south-west  rose  Serra  Dorso, 
which  I  had  seen  from  Evora,and  which  is  the 
most  beautiful  mountain  in  the  Alemtejo.  My 
idiot  guide  turned  his  uncouth  visage  towards 
it,  and  becoming  suddenly  inspired,  opened 
his  mouth  for  the  first  time  during  ihe  day,  I 
might  almost  say  since  we  had  left  Aidea 
Gallega,  and  began  to  tell  me  what  rare  hunt- 
ing was  to  be  obtained  in  that  mountain.  He 
likewise  described  with  great  minuteness  a 
wonderful  dog,  which  was  kept  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood for  the  purpose  of  catching  the 
wolves  and  wild  boars,  and  for  which  the  pro- 
prietor had  refused  twenty  moidores. 

At  length  we  reached  Estremoz,  and  took 
up  our  quarters  at  the  principal  inn,  which 
looks  upon  a  large  plain  or  market-place  oc- 
cupying the  centre  of  the  town,  and  which  is 
so  extensive  that  I  should  think  ten  thousand 
soldiers  at  least  might  perform  their  evolutions 
there  with  ease. 

The  cold  was  far  too  terrible  to  permit  me 
to  remain  in  the  chamber  to  which  I  had  been 
conducted  ;  I  therefore  went  down  to  a  kind  of 
kitchen  on  one  side  of  the  arched  passage, 
which  led  under  the  house  to  the  yard  and 
stable.  A  tremendous  withering  blast  poured 
through  this  passage,  like  the  water  through 
the  flush  of  a  mill.  A  large  cork  tree 
was  blazing  in  the  kitchen  beneath  a  spa- 
cious chimney  ;  and  around  it  were  gathered 
a  noisy  crew  of  peasants  and  farmers  from  the 
neighbourhood,  and  three  or  four  Spanish 
smugglers  from  the  frontier.  I  with  difficulty 
obtained  a  place  amongst  them,  as  a  Portu- 
guese or  a  Spaniard  will  seldom  make  way 
for  a  stranger,  till  called  upon  or  pushed  aside, 
but  prefers  gazing  upon  him  with  an  expres- 
sion which  seems  to  say,  I  know  what  you 
want,  but  I  prefer  remaining  where  I  am. 

I  now  first  began  to  observe  an  alteration 
in  the  language  spoken ;  it  had  become  less 
sibilant,  and  more  guttural ;  and,  when  ad- 
dressing each  other,  the  speakers  used  the 
Spanish  title  of  courtesy  usted,  or  your  worth- 
iness, instead  of  the  Portuguese  high  flowing 
vosseni  se,  or  your  lordship.  This  is  the  result 
of  constant  communication  with  the  natives 
of  Spain,  who  never  condescend  to  speak 
Portuguese,  even  when  in  Portugal,  but  per- 
sist in  the  use  of  their  own  beautiful  lan- 
guage, which,  perhaps,  at  some  future  period, 
the  Portuguese  will  generally  adopt.  This 
would  greatly  facilitate  the  union  of  the  two 
countries,  hitherto  kept  asunder  by  the  natural 
•waywardness  of  mankind. 

I  had  not  been  seated  long  before  the  blaz- 
ing pile,  when  a  fellow,  mounted  on  a  fine 
spirited  horse,  dashed  from  the  stables  through 
the  passage  into  the  kitchen,  where  he  com- 
menced displaying  his  horsemanship,  by 
causing  the  animal  to  wheel  about  with  the 


velocity  of  a  mill-stone,  to  the  great  danger 
of  everybody  in  the  apartment.  He  then 
galloped  out  upon  the  plain,  and  after  half  an 
hour's  absence  returned,  and  having  placed 
his  horse  once  more  in  the  stable,  came  and 
seated  himself  next  to  me,  to  whom  he  com- 
menced talking  in  a  gibberish  of  which  I 
understood  very  little,  but  which  he  intended 
for  French.  He  was  half  intoxicated,  and 
soon  became  three  parts  so,  by  swallowing 
glass  after  glass  of  aguardiente.  Finding 
that  I  made  him  no  answer,  he  directed  his 
discourse  to  one  of  the  contrabandistas,  to 
whom  he  talked  in  bad  Spanish.  The  latter 
either  did  not  or  would  not  understand  him; 
but  at  last,  losing  patience,  called  him  a 
drunkard,  and  told  him  to  hold  his  tongue. 
The  fellow,  enraged  at  this  contempt,  flung 
the  glass  out  of  which  he  was  drinking  at  the 
Spaniard's  head,  who  sprang  up  like  a  tiger, 
and  unsheathing  instantly  a  snick  and  snee 
knife,  made  an  upward  cut  at  the  fellow's 
cheek,  and  would  have  infallibly  laid  it  open, 
had  I  not  pulled  his  arm  down  just  in  time  to 
prevent  worse  effects  than  a  scratch  above  the 
lower  jawbone,  which,  however,  drew  blood. 

The  smuggler's  companions  interfered,  and 
with  much  difficulty  led  him  off  to  a  small 
apartment  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  where 
they  slept,  and  kept  the  furniture  of  their 
mules.  The  drunkard  then  commenced  sing- 
ing, or  rather  yelling,  the  Marseillois  hymn; 
and  after  having  annoyed  every  one  for  nearly 
an  hour,  was  persuaded  to  mount  his  horse 
and  depart,  accompanied  by  one  of  his  neigh- 
bours. He  was  a  pig  merchant  of  the  vicini- 
ty ;  but  had  formerly  been  a  trooper  in  the 
army  of  Napoleon,  where,  I  suppose,  like  the 
drunken  coachman  of  Evora,  he  had  picked 
up  his  French  and  his  habits  of  intoxication. 

From  Estremoz  to  Elvas  the  distance  is  six 
leagues,  I  started  at  nine  next  morning;  the 
first  part  of  the  way  lay  through  an  enclosed 
country,  but  we  soon  emerged  upon  wild  bleak 
downs,  over  which  the  wind,  which  still  pur- 
sued us,  howled  most  mournfully.  We  met 
no  one  on  the  route;  and  the  scene  was  deso- 
late in  the  extreme;  the  heaven  was  of  a  dark 
gray,  through  which  no  glimpse  of  the  sun 
was  to  be  perceived.  Before  us,  at  a  great 
distance,  on  an  elevated  ground,  rose  a  tower 
— the  only  object  which  broke  the  monotony 
of  the  waste.  In  about  two  hours  from  the 
time  when  we  first  discovered  it,  we  reached 
a  fountain,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  it 
stood ;  the  water,  which  gushed  into  a  long 
stone  trough,  was  beautifully  clear  and  transpa^ 
rent,  and  we  stopped  here  to  water  the  animals. 

Having  dismounted,  I  left  the  guide,  and 
proceeded  to  ascend  the  hill  on  which  the  tower 
stood.  Though  the  ascent  was  very  gentle, 
I  did  not  accomplish  it  without  difficulty;  the 
orround  was  covered  with  sharp  stones,  which, 
in  two  or  three  instances,  cut  through  my 
boots  and  wounded  my  feet;  and  the  distance 
was  much  greater  than  I  had  expected.  1  at 
last  arrived  at  the  ruin,  for  such  it  was.  I 
found  it  had  been  one  of  those  watch-towers 
or  small  fortresses  called  in  Portuguese  ala- 
D 


38 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


laias;  it  was  square,  and  surrounded  by  a  wall, 
broken  down  in  many  places.  The  tower  it- 
self had  no  door,  the  lower  part  being  of  solid 
stone  work;  but  on  one  side  were  crevices  at 
intervals  between  the  stones,  for  the  purpose 
of  placing  the  feet,  and  up  this  rude  staircase 
I  climbed  to  a  small  apartment,  about  five 
feet  square,  from  which  the  top  had  fallen.  It 
commanded  an  extensive  view  from  all  sides, 
and  had  evidently  been  built  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  those  whose  business  it  was  to  keep 
watch  on  the  frontier,  and  at  the  appearance 
of  an  enemy  to  alarm  the  country  by  signals 
— probably  by  a  fire.  Resolute  men  might 
have  defended  themselves  in  this  little  fast- 
ness against  many  assailants,  who  must  have 
been  completely  exposed  to  their  arrows  or 
musketry,  in  the  ascent. 

Being  about  to  leave  the  place,  I  heard  a 
strange  cry  behind  a  part  of  the  wall  which  I 
had  not  visited,  and  hastening  thither,  I  found 
a  miserable  object  in  rags,  seated  upon  a 
stone.  It  was  a  maniac — a  man  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  I  believe  deaf  and  dumb; 
there  he  sat,  gibbering  and  mowing,  and  dis- 
torting his  wild  features  into  various  dreadful 
appearances.  There  wanted  nothing  but  this 
object  to  render  the  scene  complete ;  banditti 
amongst  such  melancholy  desolation  would 
have  been  by  no  means  so  much  in  keeping. 
But  the  maniac,  on  his  stone,  in  the  rear  of 
the  wind-beaten  ruin  overlooking  the  blasted 
heath,  above  which  scowled  the  leaden  heaven, 
presented  such  a  picture  of  gloom  and  misery 
as  I  believe  neither  painter  nor  poet  ever  con- 
ceived in  the  saddest  of  their  musings.  This 
is  not  the  first  instance  in  which  it  has  been 
my  lot  to  verify  the  wisdom  of  the  saying,  that 
truth  is  sometimes  wilder  than  fiction. 

I  remounted  my  mule,  and  proceeded  till, 
on  the  top  of  another  hill,  my  guide  suddenly 
exclaimed,  "There  is  Elvas."  I  looked  in 
the  direction  in  which  he  pointed,  and  beheld 
a  town  perched  on  the  top  of  a  lofty  hill.     On 


the  other  side  of  a  deep  valley  towards  the 
left  rose  another  hill,  much  higher,  on  the  top 
of  which  is  the  celebrated  fort  of  Elvas,  be- 
lieved to  be  the  strongest  place  in  Portugal. 
Through  the  opening  between  the  fort  and  the 
town,  but  in  the  background  and  far  in  Spain, 
I  discerned  the  misty  sides  and  cloudy  head 
of  a  stately  mountain,  which  I  afterwards 
learned  was  Albuquerque,  one  of  the  loftiest 
of  Estremadura. 

We  now  got  into  a  cultivated  country,  and 
following  the  road,  which  wound  amongst 
hedge-rows,  we  arrived  at  a  place  where  the 
ground  began  gradually  to  shelve  down. 
Here,  on  the  right,  was  the  commencement  of 
an  aqueduct  by  means  of  which  the  town  on 
the  opposite  hill  was  supplied;  it  was  at 
this  point  scarcely  two  feet  in  altitude,  but,  as 
we  descended,  it  became  higher  and  higher, 
and  its  proportions  more  colossal.  Near  the 
bottom  of  the  valley  it  took  a  turn  to  the  left, 
bestriding  the  road  with  one  of  its  arches.  I 
looked  up,  after  passing  under  it;  the  water 
must  have  been  flowing  near  a  hundred  feet 
above  my  head,  and  I  was  filled  with  wonder 
at  the  immensity  of  the  structure  which  con- 
veyed it.  There  was,  however,  one  feature 
which  was  no  slight  drawback  to  its  preten- 
sions to  grandeur  and  magnificence;  the  wa- 
ter was  supported  not  by  gigantic  single  arch- 
es, like  those  of  the  aqueduct  of  Lisbon,  which 
stalk  over  the  valley  like  legs  of  Titans,  but 
by  three  layers  of  arches,  which,  like  three 
distinct  aqueducts,  rise  above  each  other.  The 
expense  and  labour  necessary  for  the  erection 
of  such  a  structure  must  have  been  enormous; 
and,  when  we  reflect  with  what  comparative 
ease  modern  art  would  confer  the  same  ad 
vantage,  we  cannot  help  congratulating  our- 
selves that  we  live  in  times  when  it  is  not  ne- 
cessary to  exhaust  the  wealth  of  a  province 
to  supply  a  town  on  a  hill  with  one  of  the  first 
necessaries  of  existence. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Elvas — Extraordinary  Longevity — The  English  Nation — Portuguese  Ingratitude— Illiberality — 
Fortitications — Spanish  Beggar — Badajoz — The  Custom  House. 


Arrived  at  the  gate  of  Elvas,  an  officer 
came  out  of  a  kind  of  guard-house,  and,  having 
asked  me  some  questions,  despatched  a  sol- 
dier with  me  to  the  police  ofl!ice,  that  my 
passport  might  be  viseed,  as  upon  the  frontier 
they  are  much  more  particular  with  respect  to 
passports  than  in  other  parts.  This  matter 
having  been  settled,!  entered  an  hostelry  near 
the  same  gate,  which  had  been  recommended 
to  me  by  my  host  at  Vendas  Novas,  and 
which  was  kept  by  a  person  of  the  name  of 
Joze  Rosado.  It  was  the  best  in  the  town, 
though,  for  convenience  and  accommodation, 
inferior  to  a  hedge  alehouse  in  England.  The 
cold  still  pursued  me,  and  I  was  glad  to  take 


refuge  in  an  inner  kitchen,  which,  when  the 
door  was  not  open,  was  only  lighted  by  a  fire 
burning  somewhat  dimly  on  the  hearth.  An 
elderly  female  sat  beside  it  in  her  chair,  telling 
her  beads :  there  was  something  singular  and 
extraordinary  in  her  look,  as  well  as  I  could 
discern  by  the  imperfect  light  of  the  apartment. 
I  put  a  few  unimportant  questions  to  her,  to 
which  she  replied,  but  seemed  to  be  afilict- 
ed  to  a  slight  degree  with  deafness.  Hex 
hair  was  becoming  gray,  and  I  said  that  1 
believed  she  was  older  than  myself,  but  thai 
I  was  confident  she  had  less  snow  on  hex 
head. 

"How  old  may  you  be,  cavalier?"  said 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


39 


she,  giving  rae  that  title  which  in  Spain  is 
generally  used  when  aa  extraordinary  degree 
of  respect  is  vvislied  to  oe  exhibited.  I  an- 
swered that  I  was  near  thirty.  "Then,"  said 
she,  "your  were  riglit  in  supposing  that  I  am 
older  than  yourself;  I  am  older  than  your 
mother,  or  your  mother's  mother :  it  is  more 
than  a  hundred  years  since  I  was  a  girl,  and 
sported  with  the  daughters  of  the  town  on  the 
hill  side."  "In  that  case,"  said  I,  ''you 
doubtless  rememberthe  earthquake."  "  Yes," 
she  replied,  "  if  there  is  any  occurrence  in  my 
life  that  I  remember,  it  is  that ;  I  was  in  the 
church  of  Elvas  at  the  moment,  hearing  the 
mass  of  the  king,  and  the  priest  fell  on  the 

f  round,  and  let  fall  the  Host  from  his  hands, 
shall  never  forget  how  the  earth  shook;  it 
made  us  all  sick ;  and  the  houses  and  walls 
reeled  like  drunkards.  Since  that  happened 
I  have  seen  fourscore  years  pass  by  me,  yet  I 
was  older  then  than  you  are  now." 

I  looked  with  wonder  at  this  surprising  fe- 
male, and  could  scarcely  believe  her  words.  I 
was,  however,  assured  that  she  was  in  fact 
upwards  of  a  hundred  and  ten  years  of  age, 
and  was  considered  the  oldest  person  in  Por- 
tugal. She  still  retained  the  use  of  her  facul- 
ties in  as  full  a  degree  as  the  generality  of 
people  who  have  scarcely  attained  the  half 
of  her  age.  She  was  related  to  the  people  of 
the  house. 

As  the  night  advanced,  several  persons  en- 
tered for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  the  comfort 
of  the  fire  and  for  the  sake  of  conversation,  for 
the  house  was  a  kind  of  newsroom,  where  the 
principal  speaker  was  the  host,  a  man  of  some 
shrewdness  and  experience,  who  had  served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  British  army.  Amongst 
others  was  the  officer  who  commanded  at  the 
gate.  After  a  few  observations,  this  gentle- 
man, who  was  a  good-looking  young  man  of 
five-and-twenty,  began  to  burst  forth  in  vio- 
lent declamation  against  the  English  nation 
and  government,  who,  he  said,  had  at  all  times 
proved  themselves  selfish  and  deceitful,  but 
that  their  present  conduct  in  respect  to  Spain 
was  particularly  infamous,  for  though  it  was 
in  their  power  to  put  an  end  to  the  war  at 
once,  by  sending  a  large  army  thither,  they 
preferred  sending  a  handful  of  troops,  in  order 
that  the  war  might  be  prolonged,  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  it  was  of  advantage  to  them. 
Having  paid  him  an  ironical  compliment  for 
his  politeness  and  urbanity,  1  asked  whether 
lie  reckoned  amongst  the  selfish  actions  of  the 
English  government  and  nation,  their  having 
expended  hundreds  of  millions  of  pounds  ster- 
ling, and  an  ocean  of  precious  blood,  in  fight- 
ing the  battles  of  Spain  and  Portugal  against 
Napoleon.  "Surely,"  said  I,  "the  fort  of 
Elvas  above  our  heads,  and  still  more  the  cas- 
tle of  Badajoz  over  the  water,  speak  volumes 
respecting  English  selfishness,  and  must, 
every  time  you  view  them,  confirm  you  in  the 
opinion  which  you  have  just  expressed.  And 
then,  with  respect  to  the  present  combat  in 
Spain,  the  gratitude  which  that  country  evinced 
to  England  after  the  French,  by  means  of 
English  armies,  had  been  expelled, — gratitude 


evinced  by  discouraging  the  trade  of  England 
on  all  occasions,  and  by  offering  up  masses  in 
thanksgiving  when  the  English  heretics  ouit- 
ted  the  Spanish  shores, — ought  now  to  induce 
England  to  exhaust  and  ruin  herself,  for  the 
sake  of  hunting  Don  Carlos  out  of  his  moun- 
tains. In  deference  to  your  superior  judg- 
ment," continued  I  to  the  officer,  "  I  will  en- 
deavour to  believe  that  it  would  be  for  the  ad- 
vantage of  England  were  the  war  prolonged 
for  an  indefinite  period  ;  nevertheless,  you 
would  do  rne  a  particular  favour  by  explaining 
by  what  process  in  chemistry  blood  shed  in 
Spain  will  find  its  way  into  the  English  trea- 
sury in  the  shape  of  gold." 

As  he  was  not  ready  with  his  answer,  I 
took  up  a  plate  of  fruit  which  stood  on  a  table 
beside  me,  and  said,  "  What  do  you  call  these 
fruits  1"  "  Pomegranates  and  bolotas,"  he  re- 
plied. "  Right,"  said  I ;  "  a  home-bred  Eng- 
lishman could  not  have  given  me  that  answer; 
yet  he  is  as  much  acquainted  with  pomegra- 
nates and  bolotas  as  your  lordship  is  with  the 
line  of  conduct  which  it  is  incumbent  upon 
England  to  pursue  in  her  foreign  and  domes- 
tic policy." 

This  answer  of  mine,  I  confess,  was  not 
that  of  a  Christian,  and  proved  to  me  hovp 
much  of  the  leaven  of  the  ancient  man  still 
pervaded  me ;  yet  I  must  be  permitted  to  add, 
that  I  believe  no  other  provocation  would  have 
elicited  from  me  a  reply  so  full  of  angry  feel- 
ing, but  I  could  not  command  myself  when  I 
heard  my  own  glorious  land  traduced  in  this 
unmerited  manner.  By  whom!  A  Portu- 
guese !  a  native  of  a  country  which  has  been 
twice  liberated  from  horrid  and  detestable 
thraldom  by  the  hands  of  Englishmen.  But 
for  Wellington  and  his  heroes,  Portugal  would 
have  been  French  at  this  day ;  but  for  Napier 
and  his  mariners,  Miguel  would  now  be  lord- 
ing it  in  Lisbon.  To  return,  however,  to  the 
officer;  every  one  laughed  at  him,  and  he  pre- 
sently went  away. 

The  next  day  I  became  acquainted  with  a 
respectable  tradesman  of  the  name  of  Almeida, 
a  man  of  talent,  though  rather  rough  in  his 
manners.  He  expressed  great  abhorrence  of 
the  papal  system,  which  had  so  long  spread  a 
darkness  like  that  of  death  over  his  unfortu- 
nate country ;  ana  I  had  no  sooner  informed 
him  that  I  had  brought  with  me  a  certain 
quantity  of  Testaments,  which  it  was  my  in- 
tention to  leave  for  sale  at  Elvas,  than  he  ex- 
pressed a  great  desire  to  undertake  the  charge, 
and  said  that  he  would  do  the  utmost  in  his 
power  to  procure  a  sale  for  them  amongst  his 
numerous  customers.  Upon  showing  him  a 
copy,  I  remarked.  Your  name  is  upon  the 
title-page;  the  Portuguese  version  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  circulated  by  the  Bible  Society, 
having  been  executed  by  a  Protestant  of  the 
name  of  Almeida,  and  first  published  in  the 
year  1712;  whereupon  he  smiled,  and  observed 
that  he  esteemed  it  an  honour  to  be  connected 
in  name  at  least  with  such  a  man.  He  scoffed 
at  the  idea  of  receiving  any  remuneration,  and 
assured  me  that  the  feeling  of  being  permuted 
to  co-operate  in  so  holy  and  useful  a  cause  as 


40 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  was  quite  a 
sufficient  reward. 

After  liavingr  accomplished  this  matter,  I 
proceeded  to  survey  the  environs  of  the  place, 
and  strolled  up  the  hill  to  the  fort  on  the  north 
side  of  the  town.  The  lower  part  of  the  hill 
is  planted  with  azinheiras,  which  give  it  a 
picturesque  appearance,  and  at  the  bottom  is 
a  small  brook,  which  I  crossed  by  means  of 
stepping-stones.  Arrived  at  the  gate  of  the 
fort,  I  was  stopped  by  the  sentry,  who,  how- 
ever, civilly  told  me,  that  if  I  sent  in  my  name 
to  the  commanding  officer,  he  would  make  no 
objection  to  my  visiting  the  interior.  I  accord- 
ingly sent  in  my  card  by  a  soldier  who  was 
lounging  about,  and,  sitting  down  on  a  stone, 
waited  his  return.  He  presently  appeared, 
and  inquired  whether  I  was  an  Englishman; 
to  which  having  replied  in  the  affirmative,  he 
said,  "In  that  case,  sir,  you  cannot  enter;  in- 
deed, it  is  not  the  custom  to  permit  any  fo- 
reigners to  visit  the  fort."  1  answered  that 
it  was  perfectly  indiiferent  to  me  whether  I 
visited  it  or  not;  and,  having  taken  a  survey 
of  Badajoz  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  hill, 
descended  by  the  way  I  came. 

This  is  one  of  the  beneficial  results  of  pro- 
tecting a  nation,  and  squandering  blood  and 
treasure  in  its  defence.  The  English,  who 
have  never  been  at  war  with  Portugal,  who 
have  fought  for  its  independence  on  land  and 
sea,  and  always  with  success,  who  have  forced 
themselves  by  a  treaty  of  commerce  to  drink 
its  coarse  and  filthy  wines,  which  no  other 
nation  cares  to  taste,  are  the  most  unpopular 
people  who  visit  Portugal.  The  French  have 
ravaged  the  country  with  fire  and  sword,  and 
shed  the  blood  of  its  sons  like  water;  the 
French  buy  not  its  fruits,  and  loathe  its  wines, 
yet  there  is  no  bad  spirit  in  Portugal  towards 
the  French.  The  reason  of  this  is  no  mystery ; 
it  is  the  nature,  not  of  the  Portuguese  only, 
but  of  corrupt  and  unregenerate  man,  to  dis- 
like his  benefactors,  who,  by  conferring  bene- 
fits upon  him,  mortify  iq  the  most  generous 
manner  his  miserable  vanity. 

There  is  no  country  in  which  the  English 
are  so  popular  as  in  France ;  but,  though  the 
French  have  been  frequently  roughly  handled 
by  the  English,  and  have  seen  their  capital 
occupied  by  an  English  army,  they  have  never 
been  subjected  to  the  supposed  ignominy  of 
receiving  assistance  from  them. 

The  fortifications  of  Elvas  are  models  of 
their  kind,  and,  at  the  first  view,  it  would 
seem  that  the  town,  if  well  garrisoned,  might 
bid  defiance  to  any  hostile  power;  but  it  has 
its  weak  point :  the  western  side  is  commanded 
by  a  hill,  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  from 
•which  an  experienced  general  would  cannon- 
ade it,  and  probably  with  success.  It  is  the 
last  town  in  this  part  of  Portugal,  the  distance 
to  the  Spanish  frontier  being  barely  two 
leagues.  It  was  evidently  built  as  a  rival  to 
Badajoz,  upon  which  it  looks  down  from  its 
height  across  a  sandy  plain  and  over  the  sul- 
len waters  of  the  Guadiana;  but,  though  a 
strong  town,  it  can  scarcely  be  called  a  defence 
to  the  frontier,  which  is  open  on  all  sides,  so 


that  there  would  not  be  the  slightest  necessity 
for  an  invading  army  to  approach  within  a 
dozen  leagues  of  its  walls,  should  it  be  dis- 
posed to  avoid  them.  Its  fortifications  are  so 
extensive,  that  ten  thousand  men  at  least 
would  be  required  to  man  them,  who,  in  the 
event  of  an  invasion,  might  be  far  better  em- 
ployed in  meeting  the  enemy  in  the  open  field. 
The  French,  duringf  their  occupation  of  Portu- 
gal, kept  a  small  force  in  this  place,  who,  at 
the  approach  of  the  British,  retreated  to  the 
fort,  where  they  shortly  after  capitulated. 

Having  nothing  farther  to  detain  me  at 
Elvas,  I  proceeded  to  cross  the  frontier  into 
•Spain.  My  idiot  guide  was  on  his  way  back 
to  AldeaGallega;  and,  on  the  fifth  of  January, 
I  mounted  a  sorry  mule  without  bridle  or  stir- 
rups, which  I  guided  by  a  species  of  halter: 
and,  followed  by  a  lad  who  was  to  attend  me 
on  another,  I  spurred  down  the  hill  of  Elvas 
to  the  plain, eager  to  arrive  in  old,  chivalrous, 
romantic  Spain.  But  I  soon  found  that  1  had 
no  need  to  quicken  the  beast  which  bore  me; 
for,  though  covered  with  sores,  wall-eyed,  and 
with  a  kind  of  halt  in  its  gait,  it  cantered  along 
like  the  wind. 

In  little  more  than  half  an  hour  we  arrived 
at  a  brook,  whose  waters  ran  vigorously  be- 
tween steep  banks.  A  man  who  was  stand- 
ing on  the  side  directed  me  to  the  ford  in  the 
squeaking  dialect  of  Portugal;  but  whilst  I 
was  yet  splashing  through  the  water,  a  voice 
from  the  other  bank  hailed  me,  in  the  magni- 
ficent language  of  Spain,  in  this  guise:  "0 
Senor  Cuballeru,  que  me  de  uMed  una  limosna 
por  amor  de  Dios,  una  limo»niia  para  qui-  to  me 
compre  un  Iraguillo  de  vino  tinto."  (Charity, 
Sir  Cavalier,  for  the  love  of  God,  bestow  an 
alms  upon  me,  that  I  may  purchase  a  mouth- 
ful of  red  wine.)  In  a  moment  I  was  on  Spa- 
nish ground,  as  the  brook,  which  is  called 
Acaia,  is  the  boundary  here  of  the  two  king- 
doms, and  having  flung  the  beggar  a  small 
piece  of  silver,  I  cried  in  ecstasy,  ^^  SarUiago 
y  cierra  Espafia!"  and  scoured  on  my  way 
with  more  speed  than  before,  paying,  as  Gil 
Bias  says,  little  heed  to  the  torrent  of  bless- 
ings which  the  mendicant  poured  forth  in  my 
rear:  yet  never  was  charity  more  unwisely 
bestowed,  for  I  was  subsequently  informed 
that  the  fellow  was  a  confirmed  drunkard, 
who  look  his  station  every  morning  at  the 
ford,  where  he  remained  the  whole  day  for 
the  purpose  of  extorting  money  from  the  pas- 
sengers, which  he  regularly  spent  every  night 
in  the  wine-shops  of  Badajoz.  To  those  who 
gave  him  money  he  returned  blessings,  and  to 
those  who  refused,  curses;  being  equally 
skilled  and  fluent  in  the  use  of  either. 

Badajoz  was  now  in  view,  at  the  distance 
of  little  more  than  half  a  league.  We  soon 
took  a  turn  to  the  left,  towards  a  bridge  of 
many  arches  across  the  Guadiana,  which, 
though  so  famed  in  song  and  ballad,  is  a  very 
unpicturesque  stream,  shallow  and  sluggish, 
though  tolerably  wide;  its  banks  were  white 
with  linen  which  the  washerwomen  had 
spread  out  to  dry  in  the  sun,  which  was  shin- 
ing brightly ;  1  heard  their  singing  at  a  great 


THE  BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


41 


Jlstance,  and  the  theme  seemed  to  be  the 
praises  of  the  river  where  they  were  toiling, 
for  as  I  approached  I  could  distinguish  Gua- 
diana,  Guadiana,  which  reverberated  far  and 
wide,  pronounced  by  the  clear  and  strong 
voices  in  chorus  of  many  a  dark-cheeked 
maid  and  matron.  I  thought  there  was  some 
analogy  between  their  employment  and  my 
own :  I  was  about  to  tan  my  northern  com- 
plexion by  exposing  myself  to  the  hot  sun  of 
Spain,  in  the  humble  hope  of  being  able  to 
cleanse  some  of  the  foul  stains  of  Popery 
from  the  minds  of  its  children,  with  whom  1 
had  little  acquaintance,  whilst  they  were 
bronzing  themselves  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  in  order  to  make  white  the  garments  of 
strangers  :  the  words  of  an  Eastern  poet  re- 
turned forcibly  to  my  mind  : 

*  I'll  weary  myself  each  night  and  each  day, 
To  aid  my  unfortunate  brothers: 
As  the  laundress  tans  her  own  face  in  the  ray, 
To  cleanse  the  garments  of  others." 

Having  crossed  the  bridge,  we  arrived  at 
the  northern  gate,  when  out  rushed  from  a 
species  of  sentry-box  a  fellow  wearing  on  his 
head  a  high-peaked  Andalusian  hat,  with  his 
figure  wrapped  up  in  one  of  those  immense 
clonks  so  well  known  to  those  who  have  tra- 
velled in  Spain,  and  which  none  but  a  Spa- 
niard can  wear  in  a  becoming  manner :  without 
saying  a  word,  he  laid  hold  of  the  halter  of 
the  mule,  and  began  to  lead  it  through  the 


gate  up  a  dirty  street,  crowded  with  long-  . 
cloaked  people  like  himself.  I  asked  him 
what  he  meant,  but  he  deigned  not  to  return 
an  answer,  the  boy,  however,  who  waited 
upon  me  said  that  it  was  one  of  the  gate- 
keepers, and  that  he  was  conducting  us  to  the 
Custom  House  or  Alfandega,  where  the  bag- 
gage would  be  examined.  Having  arrived 
there,  the  fellow,  who  still  maintained  a  dog- 
ged silence,  began  to  pull  the  trunks  off  the 
sumpter  mule,  and  commenced  uncordirtg 
them.  I  was  about  to  give  him  a  severe  re- 
proof for  his  brutality,  but  before  I  could  open 
my  mouth  a  stout  elderly  personage  appeared 
at  the  door,  who  I  soon  found  was  the  princi- 
pal officer.  He  looked  at  me  for  a  moment, 
and  then  asked  me,  in  the  English  language^ 
if  I  was  an  Englishman.  On  my  replying 
in  the  affirmative,  he  demanded  of  the  fellow 
how  he  dared  to  have  the  insolence  to  touch 
the  baggage  without  orders,  and  sternly  bade 
him  cord  up  the  trunks  again  and  place  them 
on  the  mule,  which  he  performed  without 
uttering  a  word.  The  gentleman  then  asked 
what  the  trunks  contained  :  I  answered  clothes 
and  linen;  when  he  begged  pardon  for  the 
insolence  of  the  subordinate,  and  informed 
him  that  I  was  at  liberty  to  proceed  where  I 
thought  proper.  1  thanked  him  for  his  ex- 
ceeding politeness,  and,  under  guidance  of  the 
boy,  made  the  best  of  my  way  to  the  Inn  of 
the  Three  Nations,  to  which  I  had  been  re- 
commended at  Elvas. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Badajoz — Antonio  the  Gipsy — Antonio's  Proposal — The  Proposal  accepted — Gipsy  Breakfast — De- 
parture from  Badajoz — The  Gipsy  Donkey— Merida— The  ruined  Wall — The  Crone — The  Land 
of  the  Moor — The  Black  Men — Life  in  the  Desert — The  Supper. 


I  WAS  now  at  Badajoz  in  Spain,  a  country 
•which  for  the  next  four  years  was  destined  to 
be  the  scene  of  my  labours:  but  I  will  not 
anticipate.  The  neighbourhood  of  Badajoz 
did  not  prepossess  me  much  in  favour  of  the 
country  which  I  had  just  entered  ;  it  consists 
chiefly  of  brown  moors,  which  bear  little  but 
a  species  of  brushwood,  called  in  Spanish  car- 
rasco ;  bine  mountains  are,  however,  seen  tow- 
ering up  in  the  far  distance,  which  relieve  the 
scene  from  the  monotony  which  would  other- 
wise pervade  it. 

It  was  at  this  town  of  Badajoz,  the  capital 
of  Estremadura,  that  I  first  fell  in  with  those 
singular  people,  the  Zincali,  Gitanos,  or  Spa- 
nish gipsies.  It  was  here  I  met  with  the  wild 
Paco,  the  man  with  the  withered  arm,  who 
•wielded  the  cachas  (^shears)  with  his  left  hand  ; 
his  shrewd  wife,  Antonia,  skilled  in  hokkano 
baro,  or  the  great  trick ;  the  fierce  gipsy,  An- 
tonio Lopez,  their  father-in-law ;  and  many 
other  almost  equally  singular  individuals  of 
the  Errate,  or  gipsy  blood.  It  was  here  that 
I  first  preached  the  gospel  to  the  gipsy  peo- 

?le,  and  commenced  that  translation  of  the 
lew  Testament  in  the  Spanish  gipsy  tongue, 


a  portion  of  which  I  subsequently  printed  at 
Madrid. 

After  a  stay  of  three  weeks  at  Badajoz,  I 
prepared  to  depart  for  Madrid  ;  late  one  after- 
noon, as  I  was  arranging  my  scanty  baggage, 
the  gipsy  Antonio  entered  my  apartment, 
dressed  in  his  zamarra  and  high-peaked  An- 
dalusian hat. 

Antonio. — Good  evening,  brother;  they  tell 
me  that  on  the  callicaste  (day  after  to-morrow') 
you  intend  to  set  out  for  Madrilati. 

Myself. — Such  is  my  intention ;  I  can  stay 
here  no  longer. 

Antonio. — The  way  is  far  to  Madrilati : 
there  are,  moreover,  wars  in  the  land,  and 
many  chories  {thieves)  walk  about;  are  you 
not  afraid  to  journey? 

Myself. — I  have  no  fears ;  every  man  must 
accomplish  his  destiny:  what  befalls  my  body 
or  soul  was  written  in  a  gabicote  {hook)  a 
thousand  years  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world. 

Antonio. — I  have  no  fears  myself,  brother ; 

the  dark  night  is  the  same  to  me  as  the  fair 

day,  and   the  wild  carrascal  as  the   market 

place  or  the  chardy  {fair) ;  I  have  got  the  bar 

fi  2 


43 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


lachi  in  my  bosom,  the  precious  stone  to 
which  sticks  the  needle. 

ilyseif. — You  mean  the  loadstone,  I  sup- 
pose. Do  you  believe  that  a  lifeless  stone 
can  preserve  you  from  the  dangers  which  oc- 
casionally threaten  your  life  ? 

Antonio. — Brother,  I  am  fifty  years  old,  and 
you  see  me  standing  before  you  in  life  and 
strength  :  how  could  that  be  unless  the  bar 
lachi  had  power?  I  have  been  soldier  and 
contrabandista,  and  I  have  likewise  slain  and 
robbed  the  Busne.  The  bullets  of  the  Gabine 
(^French')  and  of  the  jara  canallis  {revenue 
officers)  have  hissed  about  my  ears  without 
injuring  me,  for  I  carried  the  bar  lachi.  I 
have  twenty  times  done  that  which  by  Bus- 
nee  law  should  have  brought  me  to  the  fili- 
micha  (gallows),  yet  my  neck  has  never  yet 
been  squeezed  by  the  cold  garrote.  Brother, 
I  trust  in  the  bar  lachi,  like  the  Galore  of  old  : 
were  I  in  the  midst  of  the  gulf  of  Bombardo 
(Lyons),  without  a  plank  to  float  upon,  I 
should  feel  no  fear ;  for,  if  I  carried  the  pre- 
cious stone,  it  would  bring  me  safe  to  shore : 
the  bar  lachi  has  power,  brother. 

Myself. — I  shall  not  dispute  the  matter  with 
you,  more  especially  as  I  am  about  to  depart 
from  Badajoz:  I  must  speedily  bid  you  fare- 
well, and  we  shall  see  each  other  no  more. 

Antonio. — Brother,do  you  know  what  brings 
me  hither? 

Myself. — I  cannot  tell,  unless  it  be  to  wish 
me  a  happy  journey  :  I  am  not  gipsy  enough 
to  interpret  the  thoughts  of  other  people. 

Antonio. — All  last  night  I  lay  awake,  think- 
ing of  the  affairs  of  Egypt;  and  when  I  arose 
in  the  morning  I  took  the  bar  lachi  from  my 
bosom,  and  scraping  it  with  a  knife,  swal- 
lowed some  of  the  dust  in  aguardiente,  as  I 
am  in  the  habit  of  doing  when  I  have  made 
up  my  mind;  and  I  said  to  myself,  I  am 
wanted  on  the  frontiers  of  Castumba  (Castile) 
on  a  certain  matter.  The  strange  Caloro  is 
about  to  proceed  to  Madrilati ;  the  journey  is 
long,  and  he  may  fall  into  evil  hands,  perad- 
venture  into  those  of  his  own  blood;  for  let 
me  tell  you,  brother,  the  Gales  are  leaving 
their  towns  and  villages,  and  forming  them- 
selves into  troops  to  plunder  the  Busne,  for 
there  is  now  but  little  law  in  the  land,  and 
now  or  never  is  the  time  for  the  Galore  to 
become  once  more  what  they  were  in  former 
times  ;  so  I  said,  the  strange  Caloro  may  fall 
into  the  hands  of  his  own  blood  and  be  ill- 
treated  by  them,  which  were  shame:  I  will 
therefore  go  with  him  through  the  Chim  del 
Manro  (Estremadura)  as  far  as  the  frontiers 
of  Castumba,  and  upon  the  frontiers  of  Cas- 
tumba I  will  leave  the  London  Caloro  to  find 
his  own  way  to  Madrilati,  for  there  is  less 
danger  in  Castumba,  than  in  the  Chim  del 
Manro,  and  I  will  then  betake  me  to  the  af- 
fairs of  Egypt  which  call  me  from  hence. 

Myself. — This  is  a  very  hopeful  plan  of 
yours,  my  friend ;  and  in  what  manner  do  you 
propose  that  we  shall  travel  ? 

jntonio. — I  will  tell  you,  brother;  I  have 
a  gras  in  the  stall,  even  the  one  which  I  pur- 
chased at  Oiivea9as,  as  I  told  you  on  a  former 


occasion;  it  is  good  and  fleet,  and  cost  me, 
who  am  a  gipsy,  fifty  chule  (doUars)  ;  upon 
that  gras  you  shall  ride.  As  for  myself,  I 
will  journey  upon  the  macho. 

Mysef. — Before  1  answer  you,  I  shall  wish 
you  to  inform  me  what  business  it  is  which 
renders  your  presence  necessary  in  Castumba ; 
your  son-in-law,  Paco,  told  me  that  it  was  no 
longer  the  custom  of  the  gipsies  to  wander. 

Jtiloiiio. — It  is  an  affair  of  Egypt,  brother, 
and  I  shall  not  acquaint  you  with  it ;  perad- 
venture  it  relates  to  a  horse  or  an  ass,  or  per- 
adventure  it  relates  to  a  mule  or  a  macho  ;  it 
does  not  relate  to  yourself,  therefore  1  advise 
you  not  to  inquire  about  it. — Dosta  (enough). 
With  respect  to  ray  offer,  you  are  free  to  de- 
cline it;  there  is  a  drungruje  (royal  road)  be- 
tween here  and  Madrilati,  and  you  can  travel 
it  in  the  birdoche  (stage-coach)  or  with  the 
dromule  (muleteers)  ;  but  I  tell  you,  as  a  bro- 
ther, that  there  are  chories  upon  the  drun,  and 
some  of  them  are  of  the  Errate, 

Certainly  few  people  in  my  situation  would 
have  accepted  the  offer  of  tiiis  singular  gip- 
sy. It  was  not,  however,  without  its  allure- 
ments for  me;  I  was  fond  of  adventure,  and 
what  more  ready  means  of  uratifying  my  love 
of  it  than  by  putting  myself  under  the  hands 
of  such  a  guide.  There  are  many  who  would 
have  been  afraid  of  treachery,  but  I  had  no 
fears  on  this  point,  as  I  did  not  believe  that 
the  fellow  harboured  the  slightest  ill  intention 
towards  me ;  I  saw  that  he  was  fully  con- 
vinced that  I  was  one  of  the  Errate,  and  his 
affection  for  his  own  race,  and  his  hatred  for 
the  Busne,  were  his  strongest  characteristics. 
I  wished,  moreover,  to  lay  hold  of  every  op- 
portunity of  making  myself  acquainted  with 
the  ways  of  the  Spanish  gipsies,  and  an  ex- 
cellent one  here  presented  itself  on  my  first 
entrance  into  Spain.  In  a  word  I  determined 
to  accompany  the  gipsy.  "  I  will  go  with 
you,"  I  exclaimed ;  "  as  for  my  baggage,  I 
will  despatch  it  to  Madrid  by  the  birdoche." 
"  Do  so,  brother,"  he  replied,  "  and  the  gras 
will  go  lighter.  Baggage,  indeed  ! — what 
need  of  baggage  have  you]  How  the  Busne 
on  the  road  would  laugh  if  they  saw  two 
Cales  with  baggage  behind  them." 

During  my  stay  at  Badajoz,  I  had  but  little 
intercourse  with  the  Spaniards,  my  time 
being  chiefly  devoted  to  the  gipsies,  with 
whom,  from  long  intercourse  with  various 
sections  of  their  race  in  different  parts  of  the 
world,  I  felt  myself  much  more  at  home  than 
with  the  silent,  reserved  men  of  Spain,  with 
whom  a  foreigner  might  mingle  for  half  a 
century  without  having  half  a  dozen  words 
addressed  to  him,  unless  he  himself  made  the 
first  advances  to  intimacy,  which,  after  all, 
might  be  rejected  with  a  shrug  and  a  no  in- 
iendo ;  for,  among  the  many  deeply  rooted 
prejudices  of  these  people,  is  the  strange 
idea  that  no  foreigner  can  speak  their  lan- 
guage; an  idea  to  which  they  still  cling 
though  they  hear  him  conversing  with  perfect 
ease ;  for  in  that  case  the  utmost  that  they 
will  concede  to  his  attainments  is,  Habla 
quatro  polabras  y  nada  men. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


43> 


Early  one  morning,  before  sunrise,  I  found 
inj'self  at  the  house  of  Antonio ;  it  was  a 
small  mean  building,  situated  in  a  dirty  street. 
The  morning  was  quite  dark ;  the  street,  how- 
over,  was  partially  illumined  by  a  heap  of 
lighted  straw,  round  which  two  or  three  men 
were  busily  engaged,  apparently  holding  an 
object  over  the  Hames.  Presently  the  gipsy's 
door  opened,  and  Antonio  made  his  appear- 
ance ;  and,  casting  his  eye  in  the  direction  of 
the  light,  exclaimed,  "  The  swine  have  killed 
their  brother;  would  that  every  Busno  was 
served  as  yonder  hog  is.  Come  in,  bro- 
tlier,  and  we  will  eat  the  heart  of  that  hog." 
I  scarcely  understood  his  words,  but,  follow- 
ing him,  he  led  me  into  a  low  room  in  which 
was  a  brasero,  or  small  pan  full  of  lighted 
charcoal ;  beside  it  was  a  rude  table,  spread 
with  a  coarse  linen  cloth,  upon  which  was 
bread  and  a  large  pipkin  full  of  a  mess  which 
emitted  no  disagreeable  savour.  "The  heart 
of  the  balichow  is  in  that  puchera,"  said  An- 
tonio; "  eat,  brother."  We  both  sat  down 
and  ate,  Antonio  voraciously.  When  we  had 
concluded  he  arose : — "  Have  you  got  your 
/t?"  he  demanded.  "Here  it  is,"  said  I, 
showing  him  my  passport.  "  Good,"  said  he, 
"you  may  want  it;  I  Avant  none,  my  pass- 
port is  the  bar  lachi.  Now  for  a  glass  of  re- 
pani,  and  then  for  the  road." 

We  left  the  room,  the  door  of  which  he 
locked,  hiding  the  key  beneath  a  loose  brick 
in  a  corner  of  the  passage.  "Go  into  the 
street,  brother,  whilst  I  fetch  the  caballerias 
from  the  stable."  I  obeyed  him.  The  sun 
had  not  yet  risen,  and  the  air  was  piercingly 
cold  ;  the  gray  light,  however,  of  dawn  ena- 
bled me  to  distinguish  objects  with  tolerable 
accuracy  ;  I  soon  heard  the  clattering  of  the 
animal's  feet,  and  Antonio  presently  stepped 
forth  leading  the  horse  by  the  bridle ;  the  ma- 
cho followed  behind.  I  looked  at  the  horse 
and  shrugged  my  shoulders :  as  far  as  I  could 
scan  it,  it  appeared  the  most  uncouth  animal 
I  had  ever  beheld.  It  was  of  a  spectral 
white,  short  in  the  body,  but  with  remarka- 
bly long  legs.  I  observed  that  it  was  par- 
ticularly high  in  the  cruz  or  withers.  "  You 
are  looking  at  the  grasti,"  said  Antonia ;  "  it 
is  eighteen  years  old,  but  it  is  the  very  best  in 
the  Chim  del  Manro;  I  have  long  had  my 
eye  upon  it ;  I  bought  it  for  my  own  use  for 
the  affairs  of  Egypt.  Mount,  brother,  mount 
and  let  us  leave  the  foros — the  gate  is  about 
being  opened." 

He  locked  the  door,  and  deposited  the  key 
in  his  faja.  In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
we  had  left  the  town  behind  us.  "  This  does 
not  appear  to  be  a  very  good  horse,"  said  I  to 
.Antonio,  as  we  proceeded  over  the  plain.  "  It 
ia  with  difficulty  that  I  can  make  him 
move." 

"  He  is  the  swiftest  horse  in  the  Chim  del 
Manro,  brother,"  said  Antonio;  "at  the  gal- 
lop and  at  the  speedy  trot  there  is  no  one  to 
match  him ;  but  he  is  eighteen  years  old,  and 
his  joints  are  stiff,  especially  of  a  morning; 
but  let  him  once  become  heated,  and  the  ge- 
nio  del  viejo  {spirit  of  the  old  man)  comes 


upon  him  and  there  is  no  holding  him  in  with 
bit  or  bridle.  1  bought  that  horse  for  the  af- 
fairs of  Egypt,  brother." 

About  noon  we  arrived  at  a  small  village  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  a  high  lumpy  hill. 
"  There  is  no  Calo  house  in  this  place,"  said 
Antonio ;  "  we  will  therefore  go  to  the  posada 
of  the  Busne,  and  refresh  ourselves,  man 
and  beast."  We  entered  the  kitchen  and  sat 
down  at  the  board,  calling  for  wine  and  bread. 
There  were  two  ill-looking  fellows  in  the 
kitchen,  smoking  cigars ;  I  said  something  to 
Antonio  in  the  Calo  language. 

"What  is  that  I  hear?"  said  one  of  the 
fellows,  who  was  distinguished  by  an  im- 
mense pair  of  mustaches.  "  What  is  that  I 
hearl  is  it  in  Calo  that  you  are  speaking  be- 
fore me,  and  I  a  Chalan  and  national  1  Ac- 
cursed gipsy,  how  dare  you  enter  this  posada 
and  speak  before  me  in  that  speech  ?  Is  it 
not  forbidden  by  the  law  of  the  land  in  which 
we  are,  even  as  it  is  forbidden  for  a  gipsy  to 
enter  the  mercado'?  I  will  tell  you  what, 
friend,  if  I  hear  another  word  of  Calo  come 
from  your  mouth,  I  will  cudgel  your  bones 
and  send  you  flying  over  the  house-tops  with 
a  kick  of  my  foot." 

"  You  would  do  right,"  said  his  companion ; 
"  the  insolence  of  these  gipsies  is  no  longer 
to  be  borne.  When  I  am  at  Merida  or  Bada- 
joz  I  go  to  the  mercado,  and  there  in  a  corner 
stand  the  accursed  gipsies  jabbering  to  each 
other  in  a  speech  which  I  understand  not. 
'  Gipsy  gentleman,'  say  I  to  one  of  them, 
'  what  will  you  have  for  that  donkey  V  '  I 
will  have  ten  dollars  for  -it,  Cabellero  na- 
cional,'  says  the  gipsy ;  '  it  is  the  best  don- 
key in  all  Spain.'  '  I  should  like  to  see  its 
paces,' say  I.  'That  you  shall,  most  valo- 
rous !'  says  the  gipsy,  and  jumping  upon  its 
back,  he  puts  it  to  its  paces,  first  of  all  whis- 
pering something  into  its  ear  in  Calo,  and 
truly  the  paces  of  the  donkey  are  most  won- 
derful, such  as  I  have  never  seen  before.  'I 
think  it  will  just  suit  me,'  and  after  looking 
at  it  awhile,  I  take  out  the  money  and  pay  for 
it.  '  I  shall  go  to  my  house,'  says  the  gip- 
sy ;  and  off  he  runs.  '  I  shall  go  to  my  village,' 
say  I,  and  I  mount  the  donkey.  '  Vamonos,' 
say  I,  but  the  donkey  won't  move.  I  give 
him  a  switch,  but  I  don't  get  on  the  better  for 
that.  '  How  is  this  V  say  I,  and  I  fall  to 
spurring  him.  What  happens  then,  brother  T 
The  wizard  no  sooner  feels  the  prick  than  he 
bucks  down,  and  flings  me  over  his  head  into 
the  fango.  I  get  up  and  look  about  me; 
there  stands  the  donkey,  staring  at  me,  and 
there  stands  the  whole  gipsy  canaille  squint- 
ing at  me  with  their  filmy  eyes.  '  Where  is 
the  scamp  who  has  sold  me  this  piece  of  fur- 
niture]' I  shout.  'He  is  gone  to  Granada, 
Valorous,'  says  one.  '  He  is  gone  to  see  his 
kindred  among  the  Moors,'  says  another.  '  1 
just  saw  him  running  over  the  field  in  the 

direction  of ,  with  the  devil  close  behind 

him,'  says  a  third.  In  a  word,  I  am  tricked. 
I  wish  to  dispose  of  the  donkey;  no  one, 
however,  will  buy  him ;  he  is  a  Calo  donkey, 
and  every  person  avoids  him.    At  last  the 


44 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


gipsies  offer  thirty  rials  for  him;  and  after 
much  chaffering  I  am  glad  to  get  rid  of  him 
at  two  dollars.  It  is  all  a  trick,  however;  he 
returns  to  his  master,  and  the  brotherhood 
share  the  spoil  amongst  them.  All  which 
villany  would  be  prevented,  in  my  opinion, 
were  the  Calo  language  not  spoken ;  for  what 
but  the  word  of  Calo  could  have  induced 
the  donkey  to  behave  in  such  an  unaccounta- 
ble manner?" 

Both  seemed  perfectly  satisfied  with  the 
justness  of  this  conclusion,  and  continued 
smoking  till  their  cigars  were  burnt  to  stumps, 
•when  they  arose,  twitched  their  whiskers, 
looked  at  us  with  fierce  disdain,  and  dashing 
the  tobacco-ends  to  the  ground,  strode  out  of 
the  apartment. 

"Those  people  seem  no  friends  to  the  gip- 
sies," said  I  to  Antonio,  when  the  two  bullies 
had  departed,  "nor  to  the  Calo  language 
either." 

"  May  evil  glanders  seize  their  nostrils," 
said  Antonio;  "they  have  been  jonjabadoed 
by  our  people.  However,  brother,  you  did 
•wrong  to  speak  to  me  in  Calo,  in  a  posada 
like  this ;  it  is  a  forbidden  language ;  for,  as 
I  have  often  told  you,  the  king  has  destroyed 
the  law  of  the  Cales.  Let  us  away,  brother, 
or  those  juntunes  (^sneaking  scoundrels)  may 
set  the  justicia  upon  us." 

Towards  evening  we  drew  near  to  a  large 
town  or  village.  "That  is  Merida,"  said 
Antonia,  "formerly,  as  the  Busne  say,  a 
mighty  city  of  the  Corohai.  We  shall  stay 
here  to-night,  and  perhaps  for  a  day  or  two, 
for  I  have  some  business  of  Egypt  to  transact 
in  this  place.  Now,  brother,  step  aside  with 
the  horse,  and  wait  for  me  beneath  yonder 
wall.  I  must  go  before  and  see  in  what  con- 
dition matters  stand." 

I  dismounted  from  the  horse,  and  sat  down 
on  a  stone  beneath  the  ruined  wall  to  which 
Antonio  had  motioned  me;  the  sun  went 
down,  and  the  air  was  exceedingly  keen ;  I 
drew  close  around  me  an  old  tattered  gipsy 
cloak  with  which  my  companion  had  provided 
me,  and  being  somewhat  fatigued,  fell  into  a 
doze  which  lasted  for  nearly  an  hour. 

"Is  your  worship  the  London  Calorol" 
said  a  strange  voice  close  beside  me. 

I  started,  and  beheld  the  face  of  a  woman 
peering  under  my  hat.  Notwithstanding  the 
dusk,  I  could  see  that  the  features  were  hide- 
ously ugly  and  almost  black ;  they  belonged, 
in  fact,  to  a  gipsy  crone,  at  least  seventy 
years  of  age,  leaning  upon  a  staff. 

"Is  your  worship  the  London  CaloroV 
repeated  she. 

"I  am  he  whom  you  seek,"  said  I; 
"where  is  Antonio  1" 

"  CurelawJo,  curelando,  baribustres  curelos 
terela,"*  said  the  crone :  "  come  with  me,  Ca- 
loro  of  my  garlochin,  come  with  me  to  my 
little  ker,  he  will  be  there  anon." 

I  followed  the  crone,  who  led  the  way  into 
the  town,  which  was  ruinous  and  seemingly 

*  Doing  business,  doing  business — he  has  much 
business  to  do. 


half  deserted ;  we  went  up  the  street,  from 
which  she  turned  into  a  narrow  and  dark 
lane,  and  presently  opened  the  gate  of  a  large 
dilapidated  house :     "  Come  in,"  said  she. 

"And  the  grasT'  I  demanded. 

"  Bring  the  gras  in  too,  my  chabo,  bring 
the  gras  in  too ;  there  is  room  for  the  gras  in 
my  little  stable."  We  entered  a  large  court, 
across  which  we  proceeded  till  we  came  to  a 
wide  door-way.  "  Go  in,  my  child  of  Egypt," 
said  the  hag;  "go  in,  that  is  my  little 
stable." 

"  The  place  is  as  dark  as  pitch,"  said  I, 
"  and  may  be  a  well,  for  what  I  know ;  bring 
a  light  or  I  will  not  enter." 

"Give  me  the  solabarri  {bridle),"  said  the 
hag,  "  and  I  will  lead  your  horse  in,  my  cha- 
bo of  Egypt,  yes,  and  tether  him  to  my  little 
manger."  She  led  the  horse  through  the 
doorway,  and  I  heard  her  busy  in  the  dark- 
ness; presently  the  horse  shook  himself: 
"  Grasti  terelamos,''^  said  the  hag,  who  now 
made  her  appearance  -with  the  bridle  in  her 
hand ;  "  the  horse  has  shaken  himself,  he  is 
not  harmed  by  his  day's  journey ;  now  let  us 
go  in,  my  Caloro,  into  my  little  room." 

We  entered  the  house  and  found  ourselves 
in  a  vast  room,  which  would  have  been  quite 
dark  but  for  a  faint  glow  which  appeared  at 
the  farther  end  ;  it  proceeded  from  a  brasero, 
beside  which  were  squatted  two  dusky 
figures. 

" These  are  Callees,"  said  the  hag;  "one 
is  my  daughter,  and  the  other  is  her  chabi ; 
sit  down,  my  London  Caloro,  and  let  us  hear 
you  speak." 

I  looked  about  for  a  chair,  but  could  see 
none;  at  a  short  distance,  however,  I  per- 
ceived the  end  of  a  broken  pillar  lying  on  the 
floor;  this  I  rolled  to  the  brasero  and  sat 
down  upon  it. 

"  This  is  a  fine  house,  mother  of  the  gip- 
sies," said  I,  to  the  hag,  willing  to  gratify 
the  desire  she  had  expressed  of  hearing  me 
speak;  "a  fine  house  is  this  of  yours,  rather 
cold  and  damp,  though ;  it  appears  large 
enough  to  be  a  barrack  for  hundunares." 

"  Plenty  of  houses  in  this  foros,  plenty  of 
houses  in  Merida,  my  London  Caloro,  somo 
of  them  just  as  they  were  left  by  the  Cora- 
hanoes;  ah,  a  fine  people  are  the  Coraha- 
noes ;  I  often  wish  myself  in  their  chim  once 
more." 

"  How  is  this,  mother,"  said  I,  "  have  you 
been  in  the  land  of  the  Moors  ?" 

"  Twice  have  I  been  in  their  country,  my 
Caloro, — twice  have  I  been  in  the  land  of  the 
Corahai;  the  first  time  is  more  than  fifty 
years  ago.  I  was  then  with  the  Sese  (Spa- 
niard.i),  for  my  husband  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Crallis  of  Spain,  and  Oran  at  that  time  be- 
longed to  Spain." 

"  You  were  not  then  with  the  real  Moors," 
said  I,  "  but  only  with  the  Spaniards  who 
occupied  part  of  their  country." 

"  I  have  been  with  the  real  Moors,  my  Lon- 
don Caloro.  Who  knows  more  of  the  real 
Moors  than  myself?  About  forty  years  ago, 
I  was  with  my  ro  in  Ceuta,  for  he  was  still  a 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


45 


soldier  of  the  king,  and  he  said  to  me,  one  ■ 
day,  '  I  am  tired  of  this  place,  where  there  is 
no  bread  and  less  water,  I  will  escape  and 
turn  Corahano;  this  night  I  will  kill  my  ser- 
geant and  flee  to  the  camp  of  the  Moor.'  '  Do 
so,'  said  I,  '  my  chabo,  and  soon  as  may  be  I 
■will  follow  you  and  become  a  Corahani. 
That  same  night  he  killed  his  sergeant,  who 
five  years  before  had  called  him  Calo  and 
cursed  him,  then  running  to  the  wall  he 
dropped  from  it,  and  amidst  many  shots  he 
escaped  to  the  land  of  the  Corahai;  as  for 
myself,  I  remained  in  the  presidio  of  Ceuta 
as  a  sutler  selling  wine  and  repani  to  the 
hundunares.  Two  years  passed  by  and  I 
neither  saw  nor  heard  from  my  ro ;  one  day 
there  came  a  strange  man  to  my  cachimani 
{wine  shop),  he  was  dressed  like  a  Corahano 
and  yet  he  did  not  look  like  one,  he  looked 
more  like  a  callardo  (black),  and  yet  he  was 
not  a  collardo  either,  though  he  was  almost 
black,  and  as  I  looked  upon  him,  I  thought 
he  looked  something  like  the  Errate,  and  he 
said  to  me,  '  Zincali ;  chachipe !'  and  then  he 
whispered  to  me,  in  queer  language,  which  I 
could  scarcely  understand,  '  your  ro  is  wait- 
ing, come  with  me,  my  little  sister,  and  I  will 
take  you  unto  him.'  '  Where  is  he  V  said  I, 
and  he  pointed  to  the  west,  to  the  land  of  the 
Corahai,  and  said,  'He  is  yonder  away; 
come  with  me,  little  sister,  the  ro  is  waiting.' 
For  a  moment  I  was  afraid,  but  I  bethought 
me  of  my  husband,  and  I  wished  to  be 
amongst  the  Corahai;  so  I  took  the  little 
parne  {rnnney)  I  had,  and  locking  up  the 
cachimani  went  with  the  strange  man ;  the 
sentinel  challenged  us  at  the  gate,  but  I  gave 
him  repani  and  he  let  us  pass ;  in  a  moment 
we  were  in  the  land  of  the  Corahai.  About 
a  leag-ue  from  the  town  beneath  a  cerro  (Jiill) 
we  found  four  people,  men  and  women,  all 
very  black  like  the  strange  man,  and  we 
joined  ourselves  with  them,  and  they  all  sa- 
luted me  and  called  me  little  sister.  That 
was  all  I  understood  of  their  discourse,  which 
was  very  crabbed ;  and  they  took  away  my 
dress  and  gave  me  other  clothes,  and  I  looked 
like  a  Corahani,  and  away  we  marched  for 
many  days  amidst  deserts  and  small  villages, 
and  more  than  once  it  seemed  to  me  that  1  was 
amongst  the  Errate,  for  their  ways  were  the 
same ;  the  men  would  hokkawar  [cheat)  with 
mules  and  asses,  and  the  women  told  baji, 
and  after  many  days  we  came  before  a  large 
town,  and  the  black  man  said,  '  Go  in  there, 
little  sister,  and  there  you  will  find  your  ro;' 
and  I  went  to  the  gate,  and  an  armed  Cora- 
hano stood  within  the  gate,  and  I  looked  in 
his  face,  and  lo !  it  was  my  ro. 

"  0  what  a  strange  town  it  was  that  I  found 
myself  in,  full  of  people  who  had  once  been 
Candore  {Christians),  but  had  renegaded  and 
become  Corahai.  There  were  Sese  and  Lalore 
{Portuguese),  and  men  of  other  nations,  and 
amongst  them  were  some  of  the  Errate  from 
my  own  country;  all  were  now  soldiers  of 
the  Crallis  of  the  Corahai  and  followed  him 
to  his  wars;  and  in  that  town  I  remained 
with  my  ro  a  long  time,  occasionally  going 


out  with  him  to  the  wars,  and  T  often  asked 
him  about  the  black  men  who  brought  me 
thither,  and  he  told  me  that  he  had  had  deal- 
ings with  them,  and  that  he  believed  them  to 
be  of  the  Errate.  Well,  brother,  to  be  short, 
my  ro  was  killed  in  the  wars,  before  a  town 
to  which  the  king  of  the  Corahai  laid  siege, 
and  I  became  a  piuli  {widow),  and  I  returned 
to  the  village  of  the  renegades,  as  it  was  call- 
ed, and  supported  myself  as  well  as  I  could ; 
and  one  day  as  I  was  silting  weeping,  the 
black  man,  whom  I  had  never  seen  since  the 
day  he  brought  me  to  my  ro,  again  stood  be- 
fore me,  and  he  said,  '  Come  with  me,  little 
sister,  come  with  me,  the  ro  is  at  hand  ;'  and 
I  went  with  him,  and  beyond  the  gate  in  the 
desert  was  the  same  party  of  black  men  and 
women  which  I  had  seen  before.  'Where  is 
my  ToV  said  I.  'Here  he  is,  little  sister,* 
said  the  black  man,  '  here  he  is ;  from  this  day 
I  am  the  ro  and  you  the  romi :  come,  let  us 
go,  for  there  is  business  to  be  done.' 

"And  I  went  with  him,  and  he  was  my  ro, 
and  we  lived  amongst  the  deserts,  and  hokka- 
war'd  and  choried  and  told  baji;  and  I  said  to 
myself,  this  is  good,  sure  I  am  amongst  the 
Errate  in  a  better  chim  than  my  own ;  and  I 
often  said  that  they  were  of  the  Errate,  and 
then  they  would  laugh  and  say  that  it  might 
be  so,  and  that  they  were  not  Corahai,  but 
they  could  give  no  account  of  themselves. 

"Well,  things  went  on  in  this  way  for 
years,  and  I  had  three  chai  by  the  black  man, 
two  of  them  died,  but  the  youngest,  who  is 
the  Calli  who  sits  by  the  brasero,  was  spared ; 
so  we  roamed  about  and  choried  and  told  baji; 
and  it  came  to  pass  that  once  in  the  winter 
time  our  company  attempted  to  pass  a  wide 
and  deep  river,  of  which  there  are  many  in  the 
Chim  del  Corahai,  and  the  boat  overset  with 
the  rapidity  of  the  current  and  all  our  people 
were  drowned,  all  but  myself  and  my  chabi, 
whom  I  bore  in  my  bosom.  I  had  now  no 
friends  amongst  the  Corahai,  and  I  wandered 
about  the  desplobados  howling  and  lamenting 
till  I  became  half  lili  {mad),  and  in  this  man- 
ner I  found  my  way  to  the  coast,  where  I  made 
friends  with  the  captain  of  a  ship  and  returned 
to  this  land  of  Spain.  And  now  I  am  here,  I 
often  wish  myself  back  again  amongst  the 
Corahai." 

Here  she  commenced  laughing  loud  and 
long,  and  when  she  had  ceased,  her  daughter 
and  grandchild  took  up  the  laugh,  which  they 
continued  so  long  that  I  concluded  they  were 
all  lunatics. 

Hour  succeeded  hour,  and  still  we  sat 
crouching  over  the  brasero,  from  which,  by 
this  time,  all  warmth  had  departed  ;  the  glow 
had  long  since  disappeared,  and  only  a  few 
dying  sparks  were  to  be  distinguished.  The 
room  or  hall  was  now  involved  in  darkness  ; 
the  women  were  motionless  and  still ;  1  shiver- 
ed and  began  to  feel  uneasy.  "Will  Antonio 
be  here  to  nightl"  at  length  I  demanded. 

"Ao  lenga  usted  cuidao,  my  London  Calo- 
ro,"  said  the  gipsy  mother,  in  an  unearthly 
tone ;  "  Pepindorio*  has  been  here  some  time." 
*  The  Gipsy  word  for  Antonio. 


u 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


I  was  about  to  rise  from  my  seat  and  at- 
tempt to  escape  from  the  house,  when  I  felt  a 
hand  laid  upon  my  shoulder,  and  in  a  moment 
I  heard  the  voice  of  Antonio. 

"Be  not  afraid,  'tis  I,  brother;  we  will 
have  a  light  anon,  and  then  supper." 

The  supper  was  rude  enough,  consisting  of 
bread,  cheese,  and  olives.  Antonio,  however, 
produced  a  leathern  bottle  of  excellent  wine; 
we  despatched  these  viands  by  the  light  of 
an  earthen  lamp  which  was  placed  upon  the 
floor. 

•'  Now,"  said  Antonio  to  the  youngest  fe- 
male, "  bring  me  the  pajandi,  and  I  will  sing 
a  gachapla." 

The  girl  brought  the  guitar,  which,  with 
some  difficulty,  the  gipsy  tuned,  and  then, 
strumming  it  vigorously,  he  sang: 

"I  stole  a  plump  and  bonny  fowl, 
But  ere  I  well  had  dined, 


The  master  came  with  scowl  and  growl. 

And  me  would  captive  bind. 
My  hat  and  mantle  ofl'  I  threw, 

And  scour' d  across  the  lea, 
Then  cried  the  beng*  with  loud  hallo, 

Where  does  the  gipsy  flee?" 

He  continued  playing  and  singing  far  a  con- 
siderable time,  the  two  younger  females  danc- 
ing in  the  meanwhile  with  unwearied  dili- 
gence, whilst  the  aged  mother  occasionally 
snapped  her  fingers  or  beat  time  on  the  ground 
with  her  stick.  At  last  Antonio  suddenly 
laid  down  the  instrument,  exclaiming: — 

"  I  see  the  London  Caloro  is  weary;  enough, 
enough,  to-morrow  more  thereof — we  will  now 
to  the  charipe  {bed)." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  I;  "  where  are 
we  to  sleep  ]" 

"  In  the  stable,"  said  he,  "  in  the  manger; 
however  cold  the  stable  may  be,  we  shall  be 
warm  enough  in  the  bufa." 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Gipsy's  Grand-daughter — Proposed  Marriage — The  Algtiazil — The  Assault — Speedy  Trot- 
Arrival  at  Trujillo — Night  and  Rain — The  Forest — The  Bivouac — Mount  and  Away — Jaraicejo 
— The  National — The  Cavalier  Balmerson — Among  the  Thickets — Serious  Discourse — What  is 
Truth? — Unexpected  Intelligence. 


We  remained  three  days  at  the  gipsies' 
house,  Antonio  departing  early  every  morn- 
ing, on  his  mule,  and  returning  late  at  night. 
The  house  was  large  and  ruinous,  the  only 
habitable  part  of  it,  with  the  exception  of  the 
stable,  being  the  hall,  where  we  had  supped, 
and  there  the  gipsy  females  slept  at  night,  on 
some  mats  and  mattrasses  in  a  corner. 

"  A  strange  house  is  this,"  said  I  to  An- 
tonio, one  morning,  as  he  was  on  the  point 
of  saddling  his  mule  and  departing,  as  I  sup- 
posed, on  the  affairs  of  Egypt;  "a  strange 
house  and  strange  people ;  that  gipsy  grand- 
mother has  all  the  appearance  of  a  sowanee." 

"  All  the  appearance  of  one,"  said  Anto- 
nio. "  And  is  she  not  really  one  1  She  knows 
more  crabbed  things  and  crabbed  words  than 
all  the  Errate  betwixt  here  and  Catalonia. 
She  has  been  amongst  the  wild  Moors,  and 
can  make  more  drows,  poisons,  and  philtres 
than  any  one  alive.  She  once  made  a  kind 
of  paste,  and  persuaded  me  to  taste,  and 
shortly  after  I  had  done  so  my  soul  departed 
from  my  body,  and  wandered  through  horrid 
forests  and  mountains,  amidst  monsters  and 
duendes,  during  one  entire  night.  She  learned 
many  things  amidst  the  Corahai  which  I 
should  be  glad  to  know." 

"Have  you  been  long  acquainted  with 
her]"  said  I,  "you  appear  to  be  quite  at 
home  in  this  house." 

"Acquainted  with  her!"  said  Antonio. 
"  Did  not  my  own  brother  marry  the  black 
Calli,  her  daughter,  who  bore  him  the  chabi, 
sixteen  years  ago,  just  before  he  was  hanged 
by  the  BusneV 

In  the  afternoon  I  was  seated  with  the 


gipsy  mother  in  the  hall,  the  two  Callees 
were  absent  telling  fortunes  about  the  town 
and  neighbourhood,  which  was  their  prin- 
cipal occupation.  "Are  you  married,  my 
London  Caloro  ?"  said  the  old  woman  to  me. 
"Are  you  a  roV 

Ml/self. — Wherefore  do  you  ask,  0  Dai  de 
los  Calesi 

Gipsy  Mother. — It  is  high  time  that  the 
lacha  of  the  chabi  were  taken  from  her,  and 
that  she  had  a  ro.  You  can  do  no  better 
than  take  her  for  romi,  my  London  Caloro. 

Myself. — I  am  a  stranger  in  this  land,  O 
mother  of  the  gipsies,  and  scarcely  know 
how  to  provide  for  myself,  much  less  for  a 
romi. 

Gipsy  Mother. — She  wants  no  one  to  pro- 
vide for  her,  my  London  Caloro,  she  can  at 
any  time  provide  for  herself  and  her  ro.  She 
can  hokkawar,  tell  baji,  and  there  are  few  to 
equal  her  at  stealing  a  pastesas.  Were  she 
once  at  Madrilati,  where  they  tell  me  you  are 
going,  she  would  make  much  treasure ;  there- 
fore take  her  thither,  for  in  this  foros  she  is 
nahi  {lost),  as  it  were,  for  there  is  nothing  to 
be  gained ;  but  in  the  foros  baro  it  would  be 
another  matter;  she  would  go  dressed  in 
lachipi  and  sonacai  (silk  and  gold),  whilst 
you  would  ride  about  on  )'our  black-tailed 
gra ;  and  when  you  had  got  much  treasure, 
you  might  return  hither  and  live  like  a  Cral- 
lis,  and  all  the  Errate  of  the  Chim  del  ]Mnnro 
should  bow  down  their  heads  to  you.  What 
say  you,  my  London  Caloro,  what  say  you  to 
my  plan  ? 

♦Devil. 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


4? 


Myself. — Your  plan  is  a  plausible  one, 
mother,  or  at  least  some  people  would  think 
so ;  but  I  am,  as  you  are  aware,  of  another 
chim,  and  have  no  inclination  to  pass  my  life 
in  this  country. 

Gipsy  Mother. — ^Then  return  to  your  own 
country,  my  Caloro,  the  cliabi  can  cross  the 
pani.  Would  she  not  do  business  in  London 
with  the  rest  of  the  Galore'?  Or  why  not  go 
to  the  land  of  the  Corahai  ?  In  which  case  I 
would  accompany  you ;  I  and  my  daughter, 
the  mother  of  the  chabi. 

Myxtlf. — And  what  should  we  do  in  the 
land  of  the  Corahai  1  It  is  a  poor  and  wild 
countr}'^,  I  believe. 

Gipsy  Moilier. — The  London  Caloro  asks 
me  Tihat  we  could  do  in  the  land  of  the 
Corahai !  Aroraali  I  I  almost  think  that  I  am 
speaking  to  a  lilipendi  {simpletim).  Are 
there  not  horses  to  chore  ]  Yes,  I  trow  there 
are,  and  better  ones  than  in  this  land,  and 
asses  and  mules.  In  the  land  of  the  Corahai 
you  must  hokkawar  and  chore  even  as  you 
must  here,  or  in  your  own  country,  or  else 
you  are  no  Caloro.  Can  you  not  join  your- 
selves with  the  black  people  who  live  in  the 
despoblados?  Yes,  surely;  and  glad  they 
would  be  to  have  among  them  the  Errate 
from  Spain  and  London.  I  am  seventy  years 
of  age,  but  I  wish  not  to  die  in  this  chim,  but 
yonder,  far  away,  where  both  my  roms  are 
sleeping.  Take  the  chabi,  therefore,  and  go 
to  Madrilati  to  win  the  parne,  and  when  you 
have  got  it,  return,  and  we  will  give  a  ban- 
quet to  all  the  Busne  in  Merida,  and  in  their 
food  I  will  mix  drow,  and  they  shall  eat  and 

burst  like  poisoned  sheep 

And  when  they  have  eaten  we  will  leave 
them,  and  away  to  the  land  of  the  Moor,  my 
London  Caloro. 

During  the  whole  time  that  I  remained  at 
Marida  I  stirred  not  once  from  the  house; 
following  the  advice  of  Antonio,  who  inform- 
ed me  that  it  would  not  be  convenient.  My 
time  lay  rather  heavily  on  my  hands,  my 
only  source  of  amusement  consisting  in  the 
conversation  of  the  women,  and  in  that  of 
Antonio  when  he  made  his  appearance  at 
night.  In  these  tertulias  the  grandmother  was 
the  principal  spokeswoman,  and  astonished 
my  ears  with  wonderful  tales  of  the  land  of 
the  Moors,  prison  escapes,  thievish  feats,  and 
one  or  two  poisoning  adventures,  in  which 
she  had  been  engaged,  as  she  informed  me, 
in  her  early  youth. 

There  was  occasionally  something  very 
wild  in  her  gestures  and  demeanour;  more 
than  once  I  observed  her,  in  the  midst  of 
much  declnm-.tion,  to  stop  short,  stare  in 
vacancy,  and  thrust  out  her  p^lms  ns  if  en- 
deavouring to  push  away  some  invisible  sub- 
stance ;  she  goggled  frightfully  vv-ith  her 
eyes,  and  once  sank  back  in  convulsions,  of 
which  her  children  took  no  farther  notice 
than  observing  that  she  was  only  lili,  and 
would  soon  come  to  herself. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day.  as 
the  three  women  and  myself  sat  conversing 
as  usual,  over  the  brasero,  a  shabby-looking 


fellow  in  an  old  rusty  cloak,  walked  into  the 
room :  he  came  straight  up  to  the  place  where 
we  were  sitting,  produced  a  paper  cigar, 
Avhich  he  lighted  at  a  coal,  and  taking  a 
whiff  or  two,  looked  at  me:  "  Carracho," 
said  he,  "who  is  this  companion  1" 

I  saw  at  once  that  the  fellow  was  no  gipsy: 
the  women  said  nothing,  but  I  could  hear  the 
gnndmother  growling  to  herself,  something 
after  the  manner  of  an  old  grimalkin  when 
disturbed. 

"  Carracho,"  reiterated  the  fellow,  "  how 
came  this  companion  here]" 

*'i\'b  k  penela  chi  min  chnhoro"  said  the 
black  Callee  to  me,  in  an  under  tone;  ^^ sin 
un  halicho  cle  Ins  chlneles  ;''''*  then  looking  up 
to  the  interrogator  she  said  aloud,  "he  is  one 
of  our  people  from  Portugal,  come  on  the 
smuggling  lay,  and  to  see  his  poor  sisters 
here." 

"  Then  let  him  give  me  some  tobacco," 
said  the  fellow,  "  I  suppose  he  has  brought 
some  with  him." 

"  He  has  no  tobacco,"  said  the  black  Cal- 
lee, "  he  has  nothing  but  old  iron.  This  cigar 
IS  the  only  tobacco  there  is  in  the  house;  take 
it,  smoke  it,  and  go  away  !" 

Thereupon  she  produced  a  cigar  from  out 
her  shoe,  which  she  presented  to  the  al- 
guazil. 

"  This  will  not  do,"  said  the  fellow,  taking 
the  cigar,  "  I  must  have  something  belter;  it 
is  now  three  months  since  I  received  any 
thing  from  you  ;  the  last  present  was  a  hand- 
kerchief, which  was  good  for  nothing;  there- 
fore, hand  me  over  something  worth  taking, 
or  I  will  carry  you  all  to  the  Carcel." 

"The  Busno  will  take  us  to  prison,"  said 
the  black  Callee,  "  ha  !  ha!  ha!" 

"The  Chinel  will  take  us  to  prison,"  gig- 
gled the  young  girl,  "  he  !  he  !  he  !" 

"The  Bengui  will  carry  us  all  to  the  esta- 
ripel,"  grunted  the  gipsy  grandmother,  "  ho ! 
ho!  ho!" 

The  three  females  arose  and  walked  slowly 
round  the  fellow,  fixing  their  eyes  steadfastly 
on  his  face ;  he  appeared  frightened,  and  evi- 
dently wished  to  get  away.  Suddenly  the 
two  youngest  seized  his  hands,  and  whilst  he 
struggled  to  release  himself,  the  old  woman 
exclaimed:  "You  want  tobacco,  hijo — you 
come  to  the  gipsy  house  to  frighten  the  Cal- 
lees  and  the  strange  Caloro  out  of  their  plako 
— truly,  hijo,  we  have  none  for  you,  and  right 
sorry  I  am;  we  have,  however,  plenty  of  the 
dust  a  su  servrcio." 

Here,  thrusting  her  hand  into  her  pocket, 
she  discharged  a  handful  of  some  kind  of  dust 
or  snuff  into  the  fellow's  eyes :  he  stamped 
and  roared,  but  was  for  some  time  held  fast  by 
the  two  Callees:  he  extricated  himself,  how- 
ever, and  attempted  to  unsheath  a  knife  which 
he  bore  at  his  girdle;  but  the  two  younger 
females  flung  themselves  upon  him  like  furies, 
while  the  old  woman  increased  his  disorder 
by  thrusting  her  stick  into  his  face  ;  he  was 

*  "  Say  nothing  to  him,  my  lad,  he  is  a  hog  of 
analguazil." 


THE   BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


■seon  glad  to  give  op  the  contest,  and  retreated, 
leaving  behind  him  his  hat  and  cloak,  which 
the  chabi  gathered  up  and  flung  after  him  into 
the  street. 

"This  is  a  bad  business,"  said  I,  "  the  fel- 
low will  of  course  bring  the  rest  of  the  justi- 
cia  upon  us,  and  we  shall  all  be  cast  into  the 
estaripel." 

"  Ca !"  said  the  black  Callee,  biting  her 
thumb  nail,  "  he  has  more  reason  to  fear  us 
than  we  him,  we  could  bring  him  to  the  fili- 
micha ;  we  have,  moreover,  friends  in  this 
town  plenty,  plenty." 

"Yes,"  mumbled  the  grandmother,  "the 
daughters  of  the  baji  have  friends,  my  Lon- 
don Caloro,  friends  among  the  Busnees,  bari- 
butre,  baribu  (plenty,  plenty)." 

Nothing  farther  of  any  account  occurred  in 
the  gipsy  house;  the  next  day,  Antonio  and 
myself  were  again  in  the  saddle,  we  travelled 
at  least  thirteen  leagues  before  we  reached  the 
Venta,  where  we  passed  the  night ;  we  rose 
early  in  the  morning,  my  guide  informing  me 
that  we  had  a  long  day's  journey  to  make, 
"Where  are  we  bound  tol"  I  demanded. 
"ToTrujillo,"  he  replied. 

When  the  sun  arose,  which  it  did  gloomily 
and  amidst  threatening  rain-clouds,  we  found 
ourselves  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  range  of 
mountains  which  lay  on  our  left,  and  which, 
Antonio  informed  me,  were  called  the  Sierra 
of  San  Selvan;  our  route,  however,  lay  over 
wide  plains,  scantily  clothed  with  brushwood, 
with  here  and  there  a  melancholy  village, 
with  its  old  and  dilapidated  church.  Through- 
out the  greater  part  of  the  day,  a  drizzling 
rain  was  falling,  which  turned  the  dust  of  the 
roads  into  mud  and  mire,  considerably  im- 
peding our  progress.  Towards  evening  we 
reached  a  moor,  a  wild  place  enough,  strewn 
with  enormous  stones  and  rocks.  Before  us, 
at  some  distance,  rose  a  strange  conical  hill, 
rough  and  shaggy,  which  appeared  to  be  nei- 
ther more  nor  less  than  an  immense  assem- 
blage of  the  same  kind  of  rocks  which  lay 
upon  the  moor.  The  rain  had  now  ceased, 
but  a  strong  wind  rose  and  howled  at  our 
backs.  Throughout  the  journey,  I  had  ex- 
perienced considerable  difficulty  in  keeping 
up  with  the  mule  of  Antonio;  the  walk  of  the 
horse  was  slow,  and  I  could  discover  no  ves- 
tige of  the  spirit  which  the  gipsy  had  as- 
sured me  lurked  within  him.  We  were  now 
upon  a  tolerably  clear  spot  of  the  moor;  "  I 
am  about  to  see,"  I  said,  "  whether  this  horse 
has  any  of  the  quality  which  you  have  de- 
scribed." "  Do  so,"  said  Antonio,  and  spur- 
red his  beast  onward,  speedily  leaving  me  far 
behind.  I  jerked  the  horse  with  the  bit, 
endeavouring  to  arouse  his  dormant  spirit, 
whereupon  he  stopped,  reared,  and  refused  to 
proceed.  "  Hold  the  bridle  loose  and  touch 
him  with  your  whip,"  shouted  Antonio  from 
before.  I  obeyed,  and  forthwith,  the  animal 
set  off  at  a  trot,  which  gradually  increased  in 
swiftness  till  it  became  a  downright  furious 
speedy  trot ;  his  limbs  were  now  thoroughly 
lithy,  and  he  brandished  his  fore  legs  in  a 
maimer  perfectly  wondrous ;  the  mule  of  An- 


tonio, which  was  a  spirited  animal  of  excel- 
lent paces,  would  fain  have  competed  with 
him,  but  was  passed  in  a  twinkling.  This 
tremendous  trot  endured  for  about  a  mile, 
when  the  animal,  becoming  yet  more  heated, 
broke  suddenly  into  a  gallop.  Hurrah!  no 
hare  ever  ran  so  wildly  or  blindly;  it  was, 
literally,  ren/re  a  terre ;  and  I  had  consider- 
able difficulty  in  keeping  him  clear  of  rocks, 
against  which  he  would  have  rusljed  in  his 
savage  fury,  and  dashed  himself  and  rider  to 
atoms. 

This  race  brought  me  to  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
where  I  waited  till  the  gipsy  rejoined  me: 
we  left  the  hill,  which  seemed  quite  inacces- 
sible, on  our  right,  passing  through  a  small 
and  wretched  village.  The  sun  went  down, 
and  dark  night  presently  came  upon  us;  we 
proceeded  on,  however,  for  nearly  three  hours, 
until  we  heard  the  barking  of  dogs,  and  per- 
ceived a  light  or  two  in  the  distance.  "That 
is  Trujillo,"  said  Antonio,  who  had  not 
spoken  for  a  long  time.  "I  am  glad  of  it," 
I  replied;  "I  am  thoroughly  tired;  I  shall 
sleep  soundly  in  Trujillo."  "That  is  as  it 
may  be,"  said  the  gipsy,  and  spurred  his 
mule  to  a  brisker  pace.  We  soon  entered  the 
town,  which  appeared  dark  and  gloomy 
enough ;  I  followed  close  behind  the  gipsy, 
who  led  the  way  I  knew  not  whither,  through 
dismal  streets  and  dark  places,  where  cats 
were  squalling.  "  Here  is  the  house,"  said 
he  at  last,  dismounting  before  a  low  mean 
hut;  he  knocked,  no  answer  was  returned; — 
he  knocked  again,  but  still  there  was  no 
reply  ;  he  shook  the  door  and  essayed  to  open 
it,  but  it  appeared  firmly  locked  and  boiled. 
"  Caramba  !"  said  he,  "they  are  out — I  fear- 
ed it  might  be  so.  Now  what  are  we  to  do]" 

"  There  can  be  no  difficulty,"  said  I,  "  witK 
respect  to  what  we  have  to  do;  if  your  friends 
are  gone  out,  it  is  easy  enough  to  go  to  a  po- 
sada." 

"  You  know  not  what  you  say,"  replied  the 
gipsy,  "  I  dare  not  go  to  the  mesuna,  nor  enter 
any  house  in  Trujillo  save  this,  and  this  is 
shut ;  well,  there  is  no  remedy,  we  must  move 
on,  and,  between  ourselves,  the  sooner  we 
leave  this  place  the  better;  my  own  planoro 
{brother)  was  garroted  at  Trujillo." 

He  lighted  a  cigar,  by  means  of  a  steel  and 
yesca,  sprang  on  his  mule,  and  proceeded 
through  streets  and  lanes  equally  dismal  as 
those  which  we  had  already  traversed  till  we 
again  found  ourselves  out  of  the  town. 

I  confess  I  did  not  much  like  this  decision 
of  the  gipsy ;  I  felt  very  slight  inclination 
to  leave  the  town  behind,  and  to  venture  into 
unknown  places  in  the  dark  night,  amidst  rain 
and  mist,  for  the  wind  had  now  dropped,  and 
the  rain  began  again  to  fall  briskly.  I  was, 
moreover,  much  fatigued,  and  wished  for  no- 
thing better  than  to  deposit  myself  in  some 
comfortable  manger,  where  I  might  sink  to 
sleep,  lulled  by  the  pleasant  sound  of  horses 
and  mules  despatching  their  provender.  I 
had,  however,  put  myself  under  the  direction 
of  the  gipsy,  and  I  was  too  old  a  traveller  to 
quarrel  with  my  guide  under  the  present  cir- 


THE   BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


49 


'cumstances.  I  therefore  fallowed  close  at  his 
crupper;  our  only  light  being  the  glow  emit- 
ted from  the  gipsy's  cigar;  at  last  he  flung 
it  from  his  mouth  into  a  puddle,  and  we  were 
then  in  darkness. 

We  proceeded  in  this  manner  for  a  long 
time;  the  gipsy  was  silent;  I  myself  was 
equally  so ;  the  rain  descended  more  and 
more.  I  sometimes  thought  I  heard  doleful 
noises,  something  like  the  hooting  of  owls. 
"This  is  a  strange  night  to  be  wandering 
abroad  in,"  I  at  length  said  to  Antonio. 

"  It  is,  brother,"  said  he,  "  but  I  would 
sooner  be  abroad  in  such  a  night,  and  in  such 
places,  than  in  the  estaripel  of  Trujillo." 

We  wandered  at  least  a  league  farther,  and 
appeared  now  to  be  near  a  wood,  for  I  could 
occasionally  distinguish  the  trunks  of  im- 
mense trees.  Suddenly  Antonio  stopped  his 
mule :  "Look,  brother,"  said  he,  "  to  the 
left,  and  tell  me  if  you  do  not  see  a  light; 
your  eyes  are  sharper  than  mine."  I  did  as 
he  commanded  me.  At  first  I  could  see  no- 
thing, but  moving  a  little  farther  on  I  plainly 
saw  a  large  light  at  some  distance,  seemingly 
amongst  the  trees.  "  Yonder  cannot  be  a 
lamp  or  candle,"  said  I ;  "it  is  more  like  the 
blaze  of  a  fire."  "  Very  likely,"  said  Anto- 
nio. "  There  are  no  queres  (houses)  in  this 
place;  it  is  doubtless  a  fire  made  by  duro- 
tunes  (shepherds) ;  let  us  go  and  join  them, 
for,  as  you  say,  it  is  doleful  work  wandering 
about  at  night  amidst  rain  and  mire." 

We  dismounted  and  entered  what  I  now 
saw  was  a  forest,  leading  the  animals  cau- 
tiously amongst  -the  trees  and  brushwood. 
In  about  five  minutes  we  reached  a  small 
open  space,  at  the  farther  side  of  which,  at 
the  foot  of  a  large  cork  tree,  a  fire  was  burn- 
ing, and  by  it  stood  or  sat  two  or  three 
figures;  they  had  heard  our  approach,  and 
one  of  them  now  exclaimed  Quien  Vivel 
"  I  know  that  voice,"  said  Antonio,  and  leav- 
ing the  horse  with  me,  rapidly  advanced  to- 
wards the  fire :  presently  I  heard  an  Ola ! 
and  a  laugh,  and  soon  the  voice  of  Antonio 
summoned  me  to  advance.  On  reaching  the 
fire,  I  found  two  dark  lads,  and  a  still  darker 
woman  of  about  forty  ;  the  latter  seated  on 
what  appeared  to  be  horse  or  mule  furniture. 
I  likewise  saw  a  horse  and  two  donkeys  teth- 
ered to  the  neighbouring  trees.  It  was  in 
fact  a  gipsy  bivouac  .  .  .  .  "  Come  forward, 
brother,  and  show  yourself,"  said  Antonio  to 
me;  "  you  are  amongst  friends;  these  are  of 
the  Errate,  the  very  people  whom  I  expected 
to  find  at  Trujillo,  and  in  whose  house  we 
should  have  slept." 

"And  what,"  said  I,  "could  have  induced 
them  to  leave  their  house  in  Trujillo  and  come 
into  this  dark  forest,  in  the  midst  of  wind  and 
rain,  to  pass  the  night  ]" 

"  They  come  on  business  of  Egypt,  bro- 
ther, doubtless,"  replied  Antonio;  "and  that 
business  is  none  of  ours,  Calla  boca!  It  is 
lucky  we  have  found  them  here,  else  we 
should  have  had  no  supper,  and  our  horses 
no  corn." 

"  My  TO  is  prisoner  at  the  village  yonder," 
7 


said  the  woman,  pointing  with  her  hand  in  a 
particular  direction;  "he  is  prisoner  yonder 
for  choring  a  mailla  (donkey)  ;  we  are  come 
to  see  what  we  can  do  in  his  behalf;  and 
where  can  we  lodge  better  than  in  this  forest, 
where  there  is  nothing  to  pay  ]  It  is  not  the 
first  time,  I  trow,  that  Galore  have  slept  at 
the  root  of  a  tree." 

One  of  the  striplings  now  gave  us  barley 
for  our  animals  in  a  large  bag,  into  which  we 
successively  introduced  their  heads,  allowing 
the  famished  creatures  to  regale  themselves 
till  we  conceived  that  they  had  satisfied  their 
hunger.  There  was  a  puchero  simmering  at 
the  fire,  half  full  of  bacon,  garbanzos,  and 
other  provisions;  this  was  emptied  into  a 
large  wooden  platter,  and  out  of  this  Antonio 
and  myself  supped  ;  the  other  gipsies  refused 
to  join  us,  giving  us  to  understand  that  they 
had  eaten  before  our  arrival;  they  all,  how- 
ever, did  justice  to  the  leathern  bottle  of  An- 
tonio, which,  before  his  departure  from  Meri- 
da,  he  had  the  precaution  to  fill. 

I  was  by  this  time  completely  overcome 
with  fatigue  and  sleep.  Antonio  flung  me  an 
immense  horse  cloth,  of  which  he  bore  more 
than  one  beneath  the  huge  cushion  on  which 
he  rode;  in  this  I  wrapped  myself,  and  plac- 
ing my  head  upon  a  bundle,  and  my  feet  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  fire,  I  lay  down. 

Antonio  and  the  other  gipsies  remained 
seated  by  the  fire  conversing.  I  listened  for 
a  moment  to  what  they  said,  but  I  did  not  per- 
fectly understand  it,  and  what  I  did  under- 
stand by  no  means  interested  me;  the  rain 
still  drizzled,  but  I  heeded  it  not,  and  was 
soon  asleep. 

The  sun  was  just  appearing  as  I  awolce.  I 
made  several  efforts  before  I  could  rise  from 
the  ground;  my  limbs  were  quite  stiflT,  and 
my  hair  was  covered  with  rime;  for  the  rain 
had  ceased  and  a  rather  severe  frost  set  in. 
I  looked  around  me,  but  could  see  neither 
Antonio  nor  the  gipsies ;  the  animals  of  the 
latter  had  likewise  disappeared,  so  had  the 
horse  which  I  had  hitherto  rode;  the  mule, 
however,  of  Antonio  still  remained  fastened 
to  the  tree ;  this  latter  circumstance  quieted 
some  apprehensions  which  were  beginning  to 
arise  in  my  mind.  "They  are  gone  on  some 
business  of  Egypt,"  I  said  to  myself,  "and 
will  return  anon."  I  gathered  together  the 
embers  of  the  fire,  and  heaping  upon  them 
sticks  and  branches,  soon  succeeded  in  call- 
ing forth  a  blaze,  beside  which  I  again  placed 
the  puchero,  with  what  remained  of  the  pro- 
vision of  last  night.  I  waited  for  a  consider- 
able time  in  expectation  of  the  return  of  my 
companions,  but  as  they  did  not  appear,  I  sat 
down  and  breakfasted.  Before  1  had  well 
finished  I  heard  the  noise  of  a  horse  approach- 
ing rapidly,  and  presently  Antonio  made  his 
appearance  amongst  the  trees,  with  some  agi- 
tation in  his  countenance.  He  sprang  from 
the  horse,  and  instantly  proceeded  to  untie  the 
mule.  "  Mount,  brother,  mount !"  said  he, 
pointing  to  the  horse ;  "  I  went  with  the  Cal- 
lee  and  her  chabes  to  the  village  where  the 
ro  is  in  trouble;    the  chinobaro,  however, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


seized  them  at  once  vith  their  cattle,  and 
would  have  laid  hands  also  on  me,  but  I  set 
spurs  to  the  grasti,  gave  him  the  bridle,  and 
was  soon  far  away.  Mount,  brother,  mount, 
or  we  shall  have  the  whole  rustic  canaille 
upon  us  in  a  twinklino-." 

I  did  as  he  commanded  :  we  were  presently 
in  the  road  which  we  had  left  the  night  be- 
fore. Alon^thiswe  hurried  at  a  great  rate, 
the  horse  displaying  his  best  speedy  trot; 
whilst  the  mule,  with  its  ears  pricked  up,  gal- 
loped gallantly  at  his  side.  "  What  place  is 
that  on  the  hill  yonder]"  said  I  to  Antonio, at 
the  expiration  of  an  hour,  as  we  prepared  to 
descend  a  deep  valley. 

"  That  is  Jaraicpjo,"  said  Antonio;  "a  bad 
place  it  is,  and  a  bad  place  it  has  ever  been  for 
the  Calo  people." 

"  If  it  is  such  a  bad  place,"  said  I,  "  I  hope 
we  shall  not  have  to  pass  through  it." 

"  We  must  pass  through  it,"  said  Antonio, 
"  for  more  reasons  than  one :  first,  forasmuch 
as  the  road  lies  through  Jaraicejo;  and  se- 
cond, forasmuch  as  it  will  be  necessary  to  pur- 
chase provisions  there,  both  for  ourselves  and 
horses.  On  the  other  side  of  Jaraicejo  there  is 
a  wild  desert,  a  despoblado,  where  we  shall 
find  nothing." 

We  crossed  the  valley,  and  ascended  the 
hill,  and  as  we  drew  near  to  the  town  the 
gipsy  said,  *' Brother,  we  had  best  pass 
through  that  town  singly.  I  will  go  in  ad- 
vance ;  follow  slowly,  and  when  there  pur- 
chase bread  and  barley  ;  you  have  nothing  to 
fear.     I  will  await  you  on  the  despoplado." 

Without  waiting  for  my  answer  he  hasten- 
ed forward,  and  was  speedily  out  of  sight. 

I  followed  slowly  behind,  and  entered  the 
gate  of  the  town;  an  old  dilapidated  place, 
consisting  of  little  more  than  one  street.  Along 
this  street  I  was  advancing,  when  a  man  with 
a  dirty  foraging  cap  on  his  head,  and  holding 
a  gun  in  his  hand,  came  running  up  to  me: 
"  Who  are  you  ?"  said  he,  in  rather  rough 
accents  ;  "  from  whence  do  you  come  ?" 

"  From  Badajoz  and  Trujillo,"  I  replied; 
"  why  do  you  ask  ]" 

"  I  am  one  of  the  national  guard,"  said  the 
man,  "  and  am  placed  here  to  inspect  stran- 
gers; I  am  told  that  a  gipsy  fellow  just  now 
rode  through  the  town ;  it  is  well  for  him  that 
I  had  stepped  into  my  house.  Do  you  come 
in  his  company  ]" 

'*  Do  I  look  a  person,"  said  I,  "  likely  to 
keep  company  with  gipsies'?" 

The  national  measured  me  from  top  to  toe, 
and  then  looked  me  full  in  the  face  with  an 
expression  which  seemed  to  say,  '*  Likely 
enough,"  In  fact,  my  appearance  was  by  no 
means  calculated  to  prepossess  people  in  my 
favour.  Upon  my  head  I  wore  an  old  Anda- 
lusian  hat,  which,  from  its  condition,  appear- 
ed to  have  been  trodden  under  foot ;  a  rusty 
cloak,  which  had  perhaps  served  half  a  dozen 
generations,  enwrapped  my  body.  My  nether 
garments  were  by  no  means  of  the  finest  de- 
scription ;  and  as  far  as  could  be  seen  were 
covered  with  mud,  with  which  my  face  was 


likewise  plentifully  bespattered,  and  upon  my 
chin  was  a  beard  of  a  week's  growth. 

"  Have  you  a  passport]"  at  length  demand- 
ed the  national. 

I  remembered  having  read  that  the  best  way 
to  win  a  Spaniard's  heart  is  to  treat  him  with 
ceremonious  civility.  I  therefore  dismounted, 
and  taking  off  my  hat,  made  a  low  bow  to  the 
constitutional  soldier,  saying,  "  Seiior  nacion- 
al,  you  must  know  that  I  am  an  English  gen- 
tleman, travelling  in  this  country  for  my  plea- 
sure. I  bear  a  passport,  which,  on  inspecting, 
you  will  find  to  be  perfectly  regular;  it  was 
given  me  by  the  great  Lord  Falmerston,  minis- 
ter of  England,  whom  you  of  course  have  heard 
of  here;  at  the  bottom  you  will  see  his  own  hand- 
w^riting;  lookatitand  rejoice;  perhaps  you  will 
never  have  another  opportunity.  As  1  put  un- 
bounded confidence  in  the  honour  of  every  gen- 
tleman, I  leave  the  passport  in  your  hands 
whilst  I  repair  to  the  posada  to  refresh  my- 
self. When  you  have  inspected  it,  you  will 
perhaps  oblige  me  so  far  as  to  bring  it  to  me. 
Cavalier,  I  kiss  your  hands." 

I  then  made  him  another  low  how,  which  he 
returned  with  one  still  lower,  and  leaving  him 
now  staring  at  the  passport  and  now  looking 
at  myself,  1  went  into  a  posada,  to  which  I 
was  directed  by  a  beggar  whom  I  met. 

I  fed  the  horse,  and  procured  some  bread 
and  barley,  as  the  gipsy  had  directed  me;  I 
likewise  purchased  three  fine  partridges  of  a 
fowler,  who  was  drinking  wine  in  the  posada. 
He  was  satisfied  with  the  price  1  gave  him, 
and  offered  to  treat  me  with  a  copita,  to  which  I 
made  no  objection.  As  we  sat  discoursing  at 
the  table,  the  national  entered  with  the  pass- 
port in  his  hand,  and  sat  down  by  us. 

National. — Cabellero!  I  return  you  your 
passport,  it  is  quite  in  form.  I  rejoice  much  to 
have  made  your  acquaintance  ;  I  have  no  doubt 
that  you  can  give  me  some  information  re- 
specting the  present  war. 

Myielf. — I  shall  be  very  happy  to  afford  so 
polite  and  honourable  a  gentleman  any  inform- 
ation in  my  power. 

Natiofuil. — What  is  England  doing, — is 
she  about  to  aflford  any  assistance  to  this  coun- 
try ?  If  she  pleased,  she  could  put  down  the 
war  in  three  months. 

Myxelf. — Xo  tenga  usted  euidao,  Semr  na- 
citmdl  ,•  the  war  will  be  put  down,  don't  doubt. 
You  have  heard  of  the  English  legion,  which 
my  Lord  Palmerston  has  sent  over?  Leave 
the  matter  in  their  hands,  you  will  soon  see 
the  result. 

National, — It  appears  to  me  that  this  Ca- 
ballero  Balmerson  must  be  a  very  honest  man. 

Myself. — There  can  be  no  doubt  of  it. 

National. — I  have  heard  that  he  is  a  great 
general. 

Myself. — There  can  be  no  doubt  of  it.  In 
some  things  neither  Napoleon  nor  the  sawyer* 
would  stand  a  chance  with  him  for  a  moment. 
Es  mucho  hombre. 


•  El  Serrador,  a  Carlist  partisan,  who  about 
this  period  was  much  talked  of  in  Spain. 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


51 


Naiional. — I  am  glad  to  hear  it.  Does  he 
intend  to  head  the  legion  himself? 

Myself.— \  believe  not;  but  he  has  sent 
over,  to  head  the  fiffhtinw  men,  a  friend  of  his, 
who  is  thought  to  be  nearlj'  as  much  versed 
in  military  matters  as  himself. 

National. — lo  me  alegro  nwcho.  I  see  that 
the  war  will  soon  be  over.  Caballero,  I  thank 
you  for  your  politeness,  and  for  the  information 
which  you  have  afforded  me.  I  hope  you  will 
have  a  pleasant  journey.  I  confess  that  lam 
surprised  to  see  a  gentleman  of  your  country 
travelling  alone,  and  in  this  manner,  through 
sucli  regions  as  these.  The  roads  are  at  pre- 
sent very  bad  ;  there  have  of  late  been  many 
accidents,  and  more  than  two  deaths  in  this 
neighbourhood.  The  despoblado  out  yonder 
has  a  particularly  evil  name ;  be  on  your 
guard,  Caballero.  I  am  sorry  that  gipsy  was 
permitted  to  pass;  should  you  meet  him  and 
not  like  his  looks,  shoot  him  at  once,  stab  him, 
or  ride  him  down.  He  is  a  well  known  thief, 
contrabandista,  and  murderer,  and  has  com- 
mitted more  assassinations  than  he  has  fingers 
on  his  hands.  Caballero,  if  you  please,  we 
will  allow  you  a  guard  to  the  other  side  of 
the  pass.  You  do  not  wish  it  1  Then,  fare- 
well. Stay,  before  I  go  I  should  wish  to  see 
once  more  the  signature  of  the  Caballero  Bal- 
merson. 

I  showed  him  the  signature,  which  he  look- 
ed upon  with  a  profound  reverence,  uncover- 
ing his  head  for  a  moment ;  we  then  embraced 
and  parted. 

I  mounted  the  horse  and  rode  from  the  town, 
at  first  proceeding  very  slowly ;  I  had  no 
sooner,  however,  reached  the  moor,  than  I 
put  the  animal  to  his  speedy  trot,  and  pro- 
ceeded at  a  tremendous  rate  for  some  time, 
expecting  every  moment  to  overtake  tbe 
gipsy.  I,  however,  saw  nothing  of  him,  nor 
did  1  meet  with  a  single  human  being.  The 
road  along  which  I  sped  was  narrow  and 
sandy,  winding  amidst  thickets  of  broom  and 
brushwood,  with  which  the  despoblado  was 
overgrown,  and  which  in  some  places  were  as 
high  as  a  man's  head.  Across  the  moor,  in 
the  direction  in  which  I  was  proceeding,  rose 
a  lofty  eminence,  naked  and  bare.  The  moor 
extended  for  at  least  three  leagues;  I  had 
nearly  crossed  it,  and  reached  the  foot  of  the 
apcent.  I  was  becoming  very  uneasy,  con- 
ceiving that  I  might  have  passed  the  gipsy 
amongst  the  thickets,  when  I  suddenly  heard 
his  well  known  Ola!  and  his  black  savage 
head  and  staring  eyes  suddenly  appeared  from 
amidst  a  clump  of  broom. 

•'You  have  tarried  long,  brother,"  said 
he;  "I  almost  thought  you  had  played  me 
false." 

He  bade  me  dismount,  and  then  proceeded 
to  lead  the  horse  behind  the  thicket,  where  I 
found  the  mule  picqueted  to  the  ground.  I 
gave  him  the  barley  and  provisions,  and  then 
proceeded  to  relate  to  him  my  adventure  with 
the  national. 

"  I  w  ould  I  had  him  here,"  said  the  gip- 
sy, on  hearing  the  epithets  which  the  former 
had  lavished  uoon  him.    "  I  would  I  had  him 


here,  then  should  my  chulee  and  his  carlo  be- 
come better  acquainted." 

"  And  what  are  you  doing  here  yourself," 
I  demanded,  "  in  this  wild  place,  amidst 
these  thickets  ?" 

"  I  am  expecting  a  messenger  down  yon 
pass,"  said  the  gipsy;  "and  till  that  mes- 
senger arrive  I  can  neither  go  forward  nor  re- 
turn. It  is  on  business  of  Egypt,  brother, 
that  I  am  here." 

As  he  invariably  used  this  last  expression 
when  he  wished  to  evade  my  inquiries,  I  held 
my  peace,  and  said  no  more;  the  animals 
were  fed,  and  we  proceeded  to  make  a  frugal 
repast  on  bread  and  wine. 

"  Why  do  you  not  cook  the  game  which  I 
brought]"  I  demanded;  *' in  this  place  there 
is  plenty  of  materials  for  a  fire." 

"  The  smoke  might  discover  us,  brother," 
said  Antonio.  "I  am  desirous  of  lying  es- 
condido  in  this  place  until  the  arrival  of  the 
messenger." 

It  was  now  considerably  past  noon;  the 
gipsy  lay  behind  the  thicket,  raising  him- 
self up  occasionally  and  looking  anxiously 
towards  the  hill  which  lay  over  against  us ; 
at  last,  with  an  exclamation  of  disappoint- 
ment and  impatience,  he  flung  himself  on  the 
ground,  where  he  lay  a  considerable  time, 
apparently  ruminating;  at  last  he  lifted  up 
his  head  and  looked  me  in  the  face. 

Antonio. — Brother,  I  cannot  imagine  what 
business  brought  you  to  this  country. 

Myself. — Perhaps  the  same  which  brings 
you  to  this  moor, — business  of  Egypt. 

Antonio. — Not  so,  brother;  you  speak  the 
language  of  Egypt,  it  is  true,  but  your  ways 
and  words  are  neither  those  of  the  Cales  nor 
of  the  Busne. 

Myself. — Did  you  not  hear  me  speak  in  the 
foros  about  God  and  Tebleque?  It  was  to 
declare  his  glory  to  the  Cales  and  Gentiles 
that  I  came  to  the  land  of  Spain. 

.Antonio. — And  who  sent  you  on  this  er- 
rand? 

Myself. — You  would  scarcely  understand 
me  were  I  to  inform  you.  Know,  however, 
that  there  are  many  in  foreign  lands  who 
lament  the  darkness  which  envelopes  Spain, 
and  the  scenes  of  cruelty,  robbery,  and  mur- 
der which  deform  it. 

Antonio. — Are  they  Galore  or  Busne  1 

Myvlf. — What  matters  it?  Both  Galore 
and  Busne  are  sons  of  the  same  God. 

Antonio. — You  lie,  brother,  they  are  not  of 
one  father  nor  of  one  Errate.  You  speak  of 
robbery,  cruelty,  and  murder.  There  are  too 
many  Busne,  brother ;  if  there  were  no  Busne, 
there  would  be  neither  robbery  nor  murder. 
The  Galore  neither  rob  nor  murder  each  other, 
the  Busne  do ;  nor  are  they  cruel  to  their  ani- 
mals, their  law  forbids  them.  When  I  was  a 
child  I  was  beating  a  hurra,  but  my  father 
stopped  my  hand,  and  chided  me.  "  Hurt 
not  the  animal,"  said  he;  "for  within  it  is 
the  soul  of  your  own  sister!" 

Myself. — And  do  you  believe  in  this  wild 
doctrine,  O  Antonio? 

AiUonio. — Sometimes  I  do,  sometimes  I  do 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


not.  There  are  some  who  believe  in  nothing- ; 
not  even  that  they  live !  Long  since,  I  knew 
an  old  Caloro,  he  was  old,  very  old,  upwards 
of  a  hundred  years, — and  I  once  heard  him 
say,  that  all  we  thought  we  saw  was  a  lie ; 
that  there  was  no  world,  no  men  nor  women, 
no  horses  nor  mules,  no  olive  trees.  But 
whither  are  we  straying?  I  asked  what  in- 
duced you  to  come  to  this  country — you  tell 
me  the  glory  of  God  and  Tebleque.  Dispa- 
rate !  tell  that  to  the  Busne.  You  have  good 
reasons  for  coming,  no  doubt,  else  you  would 
not  be  here.  Some  say  you  are  a  spy  of  the 
Londone,  perhaps  you  are ;  I  care  not.  Rise, 
brother,  and  tell  me  whether  any  one  is 
coming  down  the  pass. 

"I  see  a  distant  object,"  I  replied;  "like 
a  speck  on  the  side  of  the  hill." 

The  gipsy  started  up,  and  we  both  fixed 
our  eyes  on  the  object :  the  distance  was  so 
great  that  it  was  at  first  with  difficulty  that 
we  could  distinguish  whether  it  moved  or  not. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour,  however,  dispelled  all 
doubts,  for  within  this  time  it  had  nearly 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  and  we  could 
descry  a  figure  seated  on  an  animal  of  some 
kind. 

"It  is  a  woman,"  said  I,  at  length, 
"  mounted  on  a  gray  donkey." 

"  Then  it  is  my  messenger,"  said  Antonio, 
•'  for  it  can  be  no  other." 

The  woman  and  the  donkey  were  now  upon 
the  plain,  and  for  some  time  were  concealed 
from  us  by  the  copse  and  brushwood  which 
intervened.  They  were  not  long,  however, 
in  making  their  appearance  at  the  distance  of 
about  a  hundred  yards.  The  donkey  was  a 
beautiful  creature  of  a  silver  gray,  and  came 
frisking  along,  swinging  her  tail,  and  moving 
her  feet  so  quick  that  they  scarcely  seemed 
to  touch  the  ground.  The  animal  no  sooner 
perceived  us  than  she  stopped  short,  turned 
round,  and  attempted  to  escape  by  the  way 
she  had  come ;  her  rider,  however,  detained 
her,  whereupon  the  donkey  kicked  violently, 
and  would  probably  have  flung  the  former, 
had  she  not  sprung  nimbly  to  the  ground. 
The  form  of  the  woman  was  entirely  con- 
cealed by  the  large  wrapping  man's  cloak 
which  she  wore.  I  ran  to  assist  her,  when 
she  turned  her  face  full  upon  me,  and  I  in- 
stantly recognised  the  sharp  clever  features 


of  Antonia,  whom  I  had  seen  at  Eadajoz,  the 
daughter  of  my  guide.  She  said  nothing  to 
rne,  but  advancing  to  her  father,  addressed 
something  to  him  in  a  low  voice,  which  I  did 
not  hear.  He  started  back,  and  vociferated 
Todos?  "Yes,"  said  she,  in  a  louder  tone, 
probably  repeating  the  words  which  I  had 
not  caught  before,  '^Todus  estan  presos!" 

The  gipsy  remained  for  some  time  like 
one  astounded,  and,  unwilling  to  listen  to 
their  discourse,  which  I  imagined  might  re- 
late to  business  of  Egj-pt,  I  walked  away 
amidst  the  thickets.  1  was  absent  for  some 
time,  but  could  occasionally  hear  passionate 
expressions  and  oaths.  In  about  half  an  hour 
I  returned;  they  had  left  the  road,  but  I 
found  them  behind  the  broom  clump,  where 
the  animals  stood.  Both  were  seated  on  the 
ground ;  the  features  of  the  gipsy  were  pe- 
culiarly dark  and  grim;  he  held  his  un- 
sheathed knife  in  his  hand,  which  he  would 
occasionally  plunge  into  the  earth,  exclaim- 
ing: Tiidos!  2hdos! 

"  Brother,"  said  he,  at  last,  "  I  can  go  no 
farther  with  you ;  the  business  which  carried 
me  to  Castumba  is  settled;  you  must  now 
travel  by  yourself  and  trust  to  your  baji  (/of- 
tune):' 

"I  trust  in  Undevel,"  I  replied,  "who 
wrote  my  fortune  long  ago.  But  how  am  I 
to  journey  ?  I  have  no  horse,  for  you  doubt- 
less want  your  own." 

The  gipsy  appeared  to  reflect:  "I  want 
the  horse,  it  is  true,  brother,"  he  said,  "  and 
likewise  the  macho ;  but  you  shall  not  go  tn 
pindre  ,•  you  shall  purchase  the  burra  of  An- 
tonia, which  I  presented  her  when  I  sent  her 
upon  this  expedition." 

"The  burra,"  I  replied,  "appears  both 
savage  and  vicious." 

"  She  is  both,  brother,  and  on  that  account 
I  bought  her;  a  savage  and  vicious  beast  has 
generally  four  excellent  legs.  You  are  a 
Calo,  brother,  and  can  manage  her ;  you  shall 
therefore  purchase  the  savage  hurra,  giving 
my  daughter  Antonia  a  baria  of  gold.  If  j'ou 
think  fit,  you  can  sell  the  beast  at  Talavera 
or  Madrid,  for  Estremenian  bestis  are  highly 
considered  in  Castumba." 

In  less  than  an  hour  I  was  on  the  other 
side  of  the  pass,  mounted  on  the  savage 
burra. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


63 


CHAPTER  XI. 


The  Pass  of  Mirabete — Wolves  and  Shepherds— Female  Subtlety — Death  by  Wolves — The  Mys- 
tery solved — The  Mountains — The  dark  Hour — The  Traveller  of  the  Night — Abarbenel — Hoarded 
Treasure — Force  of  Gold — The  Archbishop — Arrival  at  Madrid. 


I  PROCEEDED  down  the  pass  of  Mirabete, 
occasionally  ruminating  on  the  matter  which 
had  brought  me  to  Spain,  and  occasionally 
admiring  one  of  the  finest  prospects  in  the 
world :  before  me  outstretched  lay  immense 
plains,  bounded  in  the  distance  by  huge 
mountains,  whilst  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  which 
I  was  now  descending,  rolled  the  Tagus,  in  a 
deep  narrow  stream,  between  lofty  banks;  the 
whole  was  gilded  by  the  rays  of  the  setting 
sun ;  for  the  day,  though  cold  and  wintry,  was 
bright  and  clear.  In  about  an  hour  I  reached 
the  river  at  a  place  where  stood  the  remains  of 
what  had  once  been  a  magnificent  bridge, 
which  had,  however,  been  blown  up  in  the 
Peninsular  war  and  never  since  repaired. 

I  crossed  the  river  in  a  ferry-boat ;  the  pas- 
sage was  rather  difficult,  the  current  very 
rapid  and  swollen,  owing  to  the  latter  rains. 

"  Am  I  in  New  Castille?"  I  demanded  of 
the  ferryman,  on  reaching  the  further  bank. 
"The  raya  is  many  leagues  from  hence,"  re- 
plied the  ferryman;  "you  seem  a  stranger. 
VV hence  do  you  come!"  "From  England," 
I  replied,  and  without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
I  sprang  on  the  burra,  and  proceeded  on  my 
way.  The  burra  plied  her  feet  most  nimbly, 
and,  shortly  after  nightfall,  brought  me  to  a 
village  at  about  two  leagues'  distance  from 
the  river's  bank. 

I  sat  down  in  the  venta  where  I  put  up; 
there  was  a  huge  fire,  consisting  of  the  great- 
er part  of  the  trunk  of  an  olive  tree;  the  com- 
pany was  rather  miscellaneous :  a  hunter  with 
his  escopeta ;  a  brace  of  shepherds  with  im- 
mense dogs,  of  that  species  for  which  Estre- 
madura  is  celebrated ;  a  broken  soldier,  just 
returned  from  the  wars ;  and  a  beggar,  who, 
after  demanding  charity  por  las  stefe  llagaa  de 
Maria  Saniissima,  took  a  seat  amidst  us,  and 
made  himself  quite  cotnfortable.  The  hostess 
was  an  active  bustling  woman,  and  busied 
herself  in  cooking  my  supper,  which  consisted 
of  the  game  which  I  had  purchased  at  Jarai- 
cejo,  and  which,  on  my  taking  leave  of  the 
gipsy,  he  had  counselled  me  to  take  with  me. 
In  the  mean  time,  I  sat  by  the  fire  listening  to 
the  conversation  of  the  company. 

"I  would  I  were  a  wolf,"  said  one  of  the 
shepherds ;  "  or,  indeed,  any  thing  rather  than 
what  I  am.  A  pretty  life  is  this  of  ours,  out 
in  the  campo,  among  the  carascales,  suffering 
heat  and  cold  for  a  peseta  a  day.  I  would  I 
were  a  wolf;  he  fares  better  and  is  more  re- 
spected than  the  wretch  of  a  shepherd." 

"But  he  frequently  fares  scurvily,"  said  I; 
"  the  shepherd  and  dogs  fall  upon  him,  and 
then  he  pays  for  his  temerity  with  the  loss  of 
bis  head." 

"  That  is  not  often  the  case,  senor  traveller," 


said  the  shepherd  ;  "  he  watches  his  opportu- 
nity, and  seldom  runs  into  harm's  way.  And 
as  to  attacking  him,  it  is  no  very  pleasant 
task ;  he  has  both  teeth  and  claws,  and  dog 
or  man,  who  has  once  felt  them,  likes  not  to 
venture  a  second  time  within  his  reach.  These 
dogs  of  mine  will  seize  a  bear  singly  with 
considerable  alacrity,  though  he  is  a  most 
powerful  animal,  but  I  have  seen  them  run 
howling  away  from  a  wolf,  even  though  there 
were  two  or  three  of  us  at  hand  to  encourage 
them." 

"A  dangerous  person  is  the  wolf,"  said  the 
other  shepherd,  "and  cunning  as  dangerous; 
who  knows  more  than  he?  He  knows  the 
vulnerable  point  of  every  animal ;  see,  for  ex- 
ample, how  he  flies  at  the  neck  of  a  bullock, 
tearing  open  the  veins  with  his  grim  teeth  and 
claws.  But  does  he  attack  a  horse  in  this 
manner  ?     I  trow  not." 

" Not  he,"  said  the  other  shepherd,  "he  is 
too  good  a  judge;  but  he  fastens  on  the 
haunches,  and  hamstrings  him  in  a  moment. 
O  the  fear  of  the  horse  when  he  comes  near 
the  dwelling  of  the  wolf.  My  master  was  the 
other  day  riding  in  the  despoblado,  above  the 
pass,  on  his  fine  Andalusian  steed,  which  had 
cost  him  five  hundred  dollars;  suddenly  the 
horse  stopped,  and  sweated  and  trembled  like 
a  woman  in  the  act  of  fainting;  my  master 
could  not  conceive  the  reason,  but  presently 
he  heard  a  squealing  and  growling  in  the 
bushes,  whereupon  he  fired  off  his  gun  and 
scared  the  wolves,  who  scampered  away ;  but 
he  tells  me,  that  the  horse  has  not  yet  recover- 
ed from  his  fright." 

"Yet  the  mares  know  occasionally  how 
to  balk  him,"  replied  his  companion ;  "  there 
is  great  craft  and  malice  in  mares,  as  there  is 
in  all  females ;  see  them  feeding  in  the  camp, 
w  ith  their  young  cria  about  them ;  presently 
the  alarm  is  given  that  the  wolf  is  drawing 
near;  they  start  wildly  and  run  about  for  a 
moment,  but  it  is  only  for  a  moment, — amain 
they  gather  together,  forming  themselves  into 
a  circle,  in  the  centre  of  which  they  place  the 
foals.  Onward  comes  the  wolf,  hoping  to 
make  his  dinner  on  horseflesh ;  he  is  mistaken, 
however,  the  mares  have  balked  him,  and  are 
as  cunning  as  himself;  not  a  tail  is  to  be 
seen — not  a  hind  quarter — but  there  stand  the 
whole  troop,  their  fronts  towards  him  ready  to 
receive  him,  and  as  he  runs  round  them  bark- 
ing and  howling,  they  rise  successively  on 
their  hind  legs,  ready  to  stamp  him  to  the 
earth,  should  he  attempt  to  hurt  their  cria  or 
themselves." 

"  Worse  than  the  he-wolf,"  said  the  sol- 
dier, "  is  the  female,  for,  as  the  senor  pastor 
has  well  observed,  there  is  more  malice  ii\. 
e2 


H 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


women  than  in  males ;  to  see  one  of  these  she- 
demons  with  a  troop  of  the  males  at  her  heels 
is  truly  surprising;  where  she  turns  they 
turn,  and  what  she  does  that  do  they;  for 
they  appear  bewitched,  and  have  no  power 
but  to  imitate  her  actions.  I  was  once  travel- 
ling with  a  comrade  over  the  hills  of  Galicia, 
when  we  heard  a  howl.  '  Those  are  wolves,' 
said  my  companion,  'let  us  get  out  of  the 
way ;'  so  we  stepped  from  the  path  and  as- 
cended the  side  of  the  hill  a  little  way,  to  a 
terrace,  where  grew  vines  after  the  manner  of 
Galicia :  presently  appeared  a  large  gray  she- 
wolf,  deskonesta,  snapping  and  growling  at  a 
troop  of  demons,  who  followed  close  behind, 
their  tails  uplifted,  and  their  eyes  like  fire- 
brands. What  do  you  think  the  perverse 
brute  did  1  Instead  of  keeping  the  path,  she 
turned  in  the  very  direction  in  which  we  were ; 
there  was  now  no  remedy.  So  we  stood 
still.  I  was  the  first  upon  the  terrace,  and  by 
me  she  passed  so  close  that  I  felt  her  hair 
brush  against  my  legs;  she,  however,  took 
no  notice  of  me,  but  pushed  on,  neither  look- 
ing to  the  right  nor  left,  and  all  the  other 
wolves  trotted  by  me  without  offering  the 
slightest  injury  or  even  so  much  as  looking  at 
me.  Would  that  I  could  say  as  much  for 
my  poor  companion  who  stood  further  on, 
and  was,  I  believe,  less  in  the  demon's  way 
than  I  was ;  she  had  nearly  passed  him  when 
suddenly  she  turned  half  round  and  snapped 
at  him.  I  shall  never  forget  what  followed : 
in  a  moment  a  dozen  wolves  were  upon  him, 
tearing  him  limb  from  limb,  with  bowlings 
like  nothing  in  this  world ;  in  a  few  moments 
he  was  devoured,  nothing  remaining  but  the 
scull  and  a  few  bones ;  and  then  they  passed 
on  in  the  same  manner  as  they  came.  Good 
reason  had  I  to  be  grateful  that  my  lady  wolf 
took  less  notice  of  me  than  my  poor  com- 
rade." 

Listening  to  this  and  similar  conversation, 
I  fell  into  a  doze  before  the  fire,  in  which  I 
continued  for  a  considerable  time,  but  was  at 
length  roused  by  a  voice  exclaiming  in  a  loud 
tone,  "  7\jdo8  estan  presos.'^^  These  were  the 
exact  words  which,  when  spoken  by  his 
daughter,  confounded  the  gipsy  upon  the 
moor.  I  looked  around  me:  the  company 
consisted  of  the  same  individuals  to  whose 
conversation  I  had  been  listening  before  I  sank 
into  slumber;  but  the  beggar  was  now  the 
spokesman,  and  he  was  haranguing  with  con- 
siderable vehemence. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Caballero,"  said  I, 
"but  I  did  not  hear  the  commencement  of 
your  discourse.  Who  are  those  who  have 
been  captured  T" 

"A  band  of  accursed  Gitanos,  Caballero," 
replied  the  beggar,  returning  the  title  of  cour- 
tesy which  I  had  bestowed  upon  him.  "  Dur- 
ing more  than  a  fortnight,  they  have  infested 
the  roads  on  thefrontierof  Casiille,  and  many 
have  been  the  gentleman  travellers  like  your- 
self whom  they  have  robbed  and  murdered. 
It  would  seem  that  the  gipsy  canaille  must 
needs  take  advantage  of  these  troublous  times, 
aud  form  themselves  into  a  faction.   It  is  said 


that  the  fellows  of  whom  I  am  speaking  ex- 
pected many  more  of  their  brethren  to  join 
them,  which  is  likely  enough,  as  all  gipsies 
are  thieves:  but,  praised  be  God,  ihey  have 
been  put  down  before  they  became  too  formi- 
dable.    I  saw  them  myself  conveyed  to  the 

prison  at .    Thanks  be  to  God.    Tudos 

estan  presosl^' 

"The  mystery  is  now  solved,"  said  I  to 
myself,  and  proceeded  to  despatch  my  supper, 
which  was  now  ready. 

The  next  day's  journey  brought  me  to  a 
considerable  town,  the  name  of  which  I  have 
forgotten.  It  is  the  first  in  New  Castille,  in 
this  direction.  I  passed  the  night,  as  usual, 
in  the  manger  of  the  stable,  close  beside  the 
Caballeria;  for,  as  I  travelled  upon  a  donkey, 
I  deemed  it  incumbent  upon  me  to  be  satisfied 
with  a  couch  in  keeping  with  my  manner  of 
journeying,  being  averse,  by  any  squeamish 
and  over-delicate  airs,  to  generate  a  suspicion 
amongst  the  people  with  whom  I  mingled  that 
I  was  aught  higher  than  what  my  equipage 
and  outward  appearance  might  lead  them  to 
believe.  Rising  before  daylight,  I  again  pro- 
ceeded on  my  way,  hoping  ere  night  to  be 
able  to  reach  Talavera,  which  I  was  informed 
was  ten  leagues  distant.  The  way  lay  entirely 
over  an  unbroken  level,  for  the  most  part  co- 
vered with  olive  trees.  On  the  left,  however, 
at  the  distance  of  a  few  leagues,  rose  the 
mighty  mountains  which  I  have  already  men- 
tioned. They  run  eastward  in  a  seemingly 
interminable  range,  parallel  with  the  route 
which  I  was  pursuing;  their  tops  and  sides 
were  covered  with  dazzling  snow,  and  the 
blasts  which  came  sweeping  from  them  across 
the  wide  and  melancholy  plains  were  of  bitter 
keenness. 

"What  mountains  are  those  1"  I  inquired 
of  a  barber-surgeon  who,  mounted  like  myself 
on  a  gray  hurra,  joined  me  about  noon,  and 
proceeded  in  my  company  for  several  leagues. 
*'  They  have  many  names,  Caballero,"  replied 
the  barber;  "according  to  the  names  of  the 
neighbouring  places,  so  are  they  called.  Yon 
portion  of  them  is  styled  the  Serrania  of  Pla- 
sencia;  and  opposite  to  Madrid  they  are 
termed  the  Mountains  of  Guadarama,  from  a 
river  of  that  name,  which  descends  from  them; 
they  run  a  vast  way,  Caballero,  and  separate 
the  two  kingdoms,  for  on  the  other  side  is  Old 
Castille.  They  are  mighty  mountains;  and 
though  they  generate  much  cold,  I  take  plea- 
sure in  looking  at  them,  which  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at,  seeing  that  I  was  born  amongst 
them,  though  at  present,  for  my  sins,  I  live  in 
a  village  of  the  plain.  Caballero,  there  is  not 
another  such  range  in  Spain ;  they  have  their 
secrets  too — their  mysteries:  strange  tales 
are  told  of  those  hills,  and  of  what  they  con- 
tain in  their  deep  recesses,  for  they  are  a  broad 
chain,  and  you  may  wander  days  and  days 
amongst  them  without  coming  to  any  termino. 
Many  have  lost  themselves  on  those  hills,  and 
have  never  again  been  heard  of.  Strange 
things  are  told  of  them :  it  is  said  that  in  cer- 
tain places  there  are  deep  pools  and  lakes,  in 
which  dwell  monsters,  huge  serpents  as  long 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


55 


as  a  pine  tree,  and  horses  of  the  flood,  which 
sometimes  come  out  and  commit  mighty  da- 
mao^e.  One  thinor  is  certain,  that  yonder,  far 
away  to  the  west,  in  the  heart  of  those  hills, 
there  is  a  wonderful  valley,  so  narrow  that 
only  at  midday  is  the  face  of  the  sun  to  he  de- 
scried from  it.  That  valley  lay  undiscovered 
and  unknown  for  thousands  of  years;  no  per- 
son dreamed  of  its  existence,  but  at  last,  a 
long  time  ago,  certain  hunters  entered  it  by 
chance,  and  then  what  do  you  think  they 
found,  Caballero?  They  found  a  small  nation 
or  tribe  of  unknown  people,  speaking  an  un- 
known language,  who,  perhaps,  had  lived 
there  since  the  creation  of  the  world,  without 
intercourse  with  the  rest  of  their  fellow-crea- 
tures, and  without  knowing  that  other  beings 
besides  themselves  existed!  Cahallero,  did 
you  never  hear  of  the  valley  of  the  Batuecas? 
Many  books  have  been  written  about  that  val- 
ley and  those  people.  Caballero,  I  am  proud 
of  yonder  hills;  and  were  I  independent,  and 
without  wife  or  children,  I  would  purchase  a 
burra  like  that  of  your  own,  (which  I  see  is 
an  excellent  one,  and  far  superior  to  mine,) 
and  travel  amongst  them  till  I  knew  all  their 
mysteries,  and  had  seen  all  the  wondrous 
things  which  they  contain." 

Throughout  the  day  I  pressed  the  burra  for- 
ward, only  stopping  once  in  order  to  feed  the 
animal ;  but,  notwithstanding  that  she  played 
her  part  very  well,  night  came  on,  and  I  was 
still  about  two  leagues  from  Talavera.  As 
the  sun  went  down,  the  cold  become  intense; 
I  drew  the  old  gipsy  cloak,  which  I  still  wore, 
closer  around  me,  but  I  found  it  quite  inade- 
quate to  protect  me  from  the  inclemency  of  the 
atmosphere.  The  road,  which  lay  over  a 
plain,  was  not  very  distinctly  traced,  and  be- 
came in  the  dusk  rather  difficult  to  find,  more 
especially  as  cross-roads  leading  to  different 
places  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  I  however 
proceeded  in  the  best  manner  I  could,  and 
when  I  became  dubious  as  to  the  course  I 
should  take,  I  invariably  allowed  the  animal 
on  which  I  was  mounted  to  decide.  At  length 
the  moon  shone  out  faintly,  when  suddenly 
by  its  beams  I  beheld  a  figure  moving  before 
me  at  a  slight  distance.  I  quickened  the  pace 
of  the  burra,  and  was  soon  close  at  its  side. 
It  went  on,  neither  altering  its  pace  nor  look- 
ing round  for  a  moment.  It  was  the  figure  of 
a  man,  the  tallest  and  bulkiest  that  I  had  hi- 
therto seen  in  Spain,  dressed  in  a  manner 
strange  and  singular  for  the  country.  On  his 
head  was  a  hat  with  a  low  crown  and  a  broad 
brim,  very  much  resembling  that  of  an  English 
wagoner;  about  his  body  was  a  long,  loose 
tunic  or  slop,  seemingly  of  coarse  ticken,  open 
in  front,  so  as  to  allow  the  interior  garments 
to  be  occasionally  seen ;  these  appeared  to 
consist  of  a  jerkin  and  short  velveteen  panta- 
loons. I  have  said  that  the  brim  of  the  hat 
was  broad,  but,  broad  as  it  was,  it  was  insuf- 
ficient to  cover  an  immense  bush  of  coal-black 
hair,  which,  thick  and  curly,  projected  on 
either  side;  over  the  left  shoulder  was  flung 
a  kind  of  satchel,  and  in  the  right  hand  was 
held  a  long  staff  or  pole. 


There  was  something  peculiarly  strange 
about  the  figure ;  but  what  struck  me  the  most 
was  the  tranquillity  with  which  it  moved 
along,  taking  no  heed  of  me,  though  of  course 
aware  of  my  proximity,  but  looking  straight 
forward  along  the  road,  save  when  it  occasion- 
ally raised  a  huge  face  and  large  eyes  towards 
the  moon,  which  was  now  shining  forth  in 
the  eastern  quarter. 

"A  cold  night,"  said  I  at  last.  "Is  this 
the  way  to  Talavera  ?" 

"  It  is  the  way  to  Talavera,  and  the  night 
is  cold." 

"I  am  going  to  Talavera,"  said  I,  "as  I 
suppose  you  are  yourself." 

"  I  am  going  thither,  so  are  you,  Bueno.^^ 

The  tones  of  the  voice  which  delivered 
these  words  were  in  their  way  quite  as  strange 
and  singular  as  the  figure  to  which  the  voice 
belonged  ;  they  were  not  exactly  the  tones  of 
a  Spanish  voice,  and  yet  there  was  something 
in  them  that  could  hardly  be  foreign;  the  pro- 
nunciation also  was  correct,  and  the  language, 
though  singular,  faultless.  But  I  was  most 
struck  with  the  manner  in  which  the  last 
word,  buenu,  was  spoken.  I  had  heard  some- 
thing like  it  before,  but  where  or  when  I  could 
by  no  means  remember.  A  pause  now  ensued ; 
the  figure  stalking  on  as  before  with  the  most 
perfect  indifference,  and  seemingly  with  no 
disposition  either  to  seek  or  avoid  conversation. 

"Are  you  not  afraid,"  said  I  at  last,  "to 
travel  these  roads  in  the  dark  ]  It  is  said  that 
there  are  robbers  abroad." 

"Are  you  not  rather  afraid,"  replied  the     J 
figure,  "to  travel  these  roads  in  the  darki —      f 
you  who  are  ignorant  of  the  country,  who  are 
a  foreigner,  an  Englishman !" 

"  How  is  it  that  you  know  me  to  be  an 
Englishman?"  demanded  I,  much  surprised. 

"That  is  no  difficult  matter,"  replied  the 
figure ;  "  the  sound  of  your  voice  was  eno>igk 
to  tell  me  that." 

"You  speak  of  voices,"  said  I;  "  Suppose 
the  tone  of  your  own  voice  were  to.  tell  me 
who  you  are  ?" 

"That  it  will  not  do,"  replied  tny  com- 
panion ;  "  you  know  nothing  about  Qie — you 
can  know  nothing  about  me." 

"  Be  not  sure  of  that,  m)'  friend ;  I  am  ac- 
quainted with  many  things  of  which  you 
have  little  idea."  '•, 

"  Por  exemplo,"  said  the  figure.  .  j 

"For  example,"  said  I;  "you  speak  tw<»; 
languages." 

The  figure  moved  on,  seemed  to  consider  a 
moment,  and  then  said  slowly,  huenn, 

"  You  have  two  names,"  I  continued ;  "  one 
for  the  house  and  the  other  for  the  street;  both 
are  good,  but  the  one  by  which  you  are  called 
at  home  is  the  one  which  you  like  best." 

The  man  walked  on  about  ten  paces,  in  the 
same  manner  as  he  had  previously  done ;  all 
of  a  sudden  he  turned,  and  taking  the  bridle 
of  the  burra  gently  in  his  hand,  stopped  her. 
I  had  now  a  full  view  of  his  face  and  figure, 
and  those  huge  features  and  Herculean  form 
still  occasionally  revisit  me  in  my  dreams.  I 
see  him  standing  in  the  moonshine,  staring 


56 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


me  in  the  face  with  his  deep  calm  eyes.    At 
last  he  said : 

"£s  usted  tambten  de  nosotros'P^ 

It  was  late  at  night  when  we  arrived  at 
Talavera.  We  went  to  a  large  gloomy  house,  I 
which  my  companion  infonned  me  was  the  ] 
principal  posada  of  the  town.  We  entered 
the  Idtchen,  at  the  extremity  of  which  a  large 
fire  was  blazing.  "  Pepita,"  said  my  com- 
panion to  a  handsome  girl,  who  advanced 
smiling  towards  us;  "a  brasero  and  a  pri- 
vate apartment;  this  cavalier  is  a  friend  of 
mine,  and  we  shall  sup  together."  We  were 
shown  to  an  apartment  in  which  were  two 
alcoves  containing  beds.  After  supper,  which 
consisted  of  the  very  best,  by  the  order  of  my 
companion,  we  sat  over  the  brasero  and  com- 
menced talking. 

Myself. — Of  course  you  have  conversed 
with  Englislimen  before,  else  you  could  not 
have  recognised  me  by  the  tone  of  my  voice. 

Marbenel. — I  was  a  young  lad  when  the 
war  of  the  independence  broke  out,  and  there 
came  to  the  village  in  which  our  family  lived 
an  English  officer  in  order  to  teach  discipline 
to  the  new  levies.  He  was  quartered  in  my 
father's  house,  where  he  conceived  a  great 
affection  for  me.  On  his  departure,  with  the 
consent  of  my  father,  I  attended  him  through 
both  the  Castilles,  partly  as  companion,  partly 
as  domestic.  I  was  with  him  nearly  a  year, 
when  he  was  suddenly  summoned  to  return 
to  his  own  country.  He  would  fain  have 
taken  me  with  him,  but  to  that  my  father 
would  by  no  means  consent.  It  is  now  five- 
and-twenty  years  since  I  last  saw  an  English- 
^man;  but  you  have  seen  how  I  recognised 
«you  even  in  the  dark  night. 

Myself. — And  what  kind  of  life  do  you 
pursue,  and  by  what  means  do  you  obtain 
*pport  ? 

Abardenel. — I  experience  no  difficulty.  I 
live  much  in  the  same  way  as  I  believe  my 
forefathers  lived ;  certainly  as  my  father  did, 
for  his  course  has  been  mine.  At  his  death  I 
took  pe5Pi?ssion  of  the  herencia,  for  I  was  his 
only  chi  'd.  It  was  not  requisite  that  I  should 
fcllo  .V  any  business,  for  my  wealth  was  great ; 
yet,  to  avoid  remark,  I  followed  that  of  my 
father,  who  was  a  longanizero.  I  have  occa- 
sionally dealt  in  wool ;  but  lazily,  lazily — as 
I  had  no  stimulus  for  exertion.  I  was,  how- 
rver,  successful  in  many  instances,  strangely 
so ;  much  more  than  many  others  who  toiled 
day  and  night,  and  whose  whole  soul  was  in 
the  trade. 

Myself. — Have  you  any  children!  Are  you 
married  1 

Marbenel. — ^I  have  no  children  though  I  am 
married.  I  have  a  wife  and  an  amiga,  or  I 
should  rather  say  two  wives,  for  I  am  wedded 
to  both.  I  however  call  one  my  amiga,  for 
appearance  sake,  for  I  wish  to  live  in  quiet, 
and  am  unwilling  to  offend  the  prejudices  of 
the  surrounding  people. 

Mynef. — You  say  you  are  wealthy.  In 
vhat  does  your  wealth  consist  1 

Marbenel. — Id  gold  and  silver,  and  stones 


of  price ;  for  I  have  inherited  all  the  hoards 
of  my  forefathers.  The  greater  part  is  buried 
under  ground  ;  indeed,  1  have  never  examined 
the  tenth  part  of  it.  I  have  coins  of  silver 
and  gold  older  than  the  times  of  Ferdinand 
the  Accursed  and  Jezebel  ;  I  have  also  large 
sums  employed  in  usury.  We  keep  our- 
selves close,  however,  and  pretend  to  be  poor, 
miserably  so;  but  on  certain  occasions,  at  our 
festivals,  when  our  gates  are  barred,  and  our 
savage  dogs  are  let  loose  in  the  court,  we  eat 
our  food  off  services  such  as  the  Queen  of 
Spain  cannot  boast  of,  and  wash  our  feet  in 
ewers  of  silver,  fashioned  and  wrought  before 
the  Americas  were  discovered,  though  our 
garments  are  at  all  times  coarse,  and  our  food 
for  the  most  part  of  the  plainest  description. 

Myself. — Are  there  more  of  you  than  your- 
self and  your  two  wives  \ 

Marbenel. — There  are  ray  two  servants, 
who  are  likewise  of  us;  the  one  is  a  youth, 
and  is  about  to  leave,  being  betrothed  to  one 
at  some  distance ;  the  other  is  old  :  he  is  now 
upon  the  road,  following  me  with  a  mule  and 
car. 

Myself, — And  whither  are  you  bound  at 
present  ? 

Marbenel. — To  Toledo,  where  I  ply  my 
trade  occasionally  of  longanizero.  I  love  to 
wander  about,  though  I  seldom  stray  far  from 
home.  Since  I  left  the  Englishman  my  feet 
have  never  once  stepped  beyond  the  bounds 
of  New  Castille.  I  love  to  visit  Toledo,  and 
to  think  of  the  times  which  have  long  since 
departed  ;  I  should  establish  myself  there, 
were  there  not  so  many  accursed  ones,  who 
look  upon  me  with  an  evil  eye. 

Myself. — Are  you  known  for  what  you  are? 
Do  the  authorities  molest  you  ? 

Marbenel. — People  of  course  suspect  me 
to  be  what  I  am  ;  but  as  I  conform  outwardly 
in  most  respects  to  their  ways,  they  do  not 
interfere  with  me.  True  it  is  that  sometimes, 
when  I  enter  the  church  to  hear  the  mass, 
they  glare  at  me  over  the  left  shoulder,  as 
to  say — "  What  do  you  here  V  And  some- 
times they  cross  themselves  as  I  pass  by ;  but 
as  they  go  no  further,  I  do  not  trouble  myself 
on  that  account.  With  respect  to  the  autho- 
rities, they  are  not  bad  friends  of  mine. 
Many  of  the  higher  class  have  borrowed  mo- 
ney from  me  on  usury,  so  that  I  have  them  to 
a  certain  extent  in  my  power,  and  as  for  the 
low  alguazils  and  corchetes,  they  would  do 
any  thing  to  oblige  me  in  consideration  of  a 
few  dollars,  which  I  occasionally  give  them  ; 
so  that  matters  upon  the  whole  go  on  remark- 
ably well.  Of  old,  indeed,  it  was  far  other- 
wise; yet,  I  know  not  how  it  was,  though 
other  families  suffered  much,  ours  always  en- 
joyed a  tolerable  share  of  tranquillity.  The 
truth  is,  that  our  family  has  always  known 
how  to  guide  itself  wonderfully.  I  may  say 
there  is  much  of  the  wisdom  of  the  snake 
amongst  us.  We  have  always  possessed 
friends ;  and  with  respect  to  enemies,  it  is  by 
no  means  safe  to  meddle  with  us ;  for  it  is  a 
rule  of  our  house  never  to  forgive  an  injury, 
and  to  spare  neither  trouble  nor  expense  ia. 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


57 


bringing  ruin  and  destruction  upon  the  heads 
of  our  evil  doers. 

Myself. — Do  the  priests  interfere  with  yon  1 

Marbenel. — They  let  me  alone,  especially 
in  our  own  neiahbourhood.  Shortly  after  the 
death  of  my  father,  one  hot-headed  individual 
endeavoured  to  do  me  an  evil  turn,  but  I  soon 
requited  him,  causintr  him  to  be  imprisoned 
on  a  charare  of  blasphemy,  and  in  prison  he 
remained  a  long  time,  till  he  went  mad  and 
died. 

Myself. — Have  you  a  head  in  Spain,  in 
whom  is  rested  the  chief  authority? 

Marbenel. — Not  exactly.  There  are,  how- 
ever, certain  holy  families  who  enjoy  much 
consideration  ;  my  own  is  one  of  these — the 
chiefest,  I  may  say.  My  prrandsire  was  a 
particularly  holy  man ;  and  I  have  heard  my 
father  say,  that  one  night  an  archbishop  came 
to  his  house  secretly,  merely  to  have  the  sa- 
tisfaction of  kissing  his  head. 

Myself. — How  can  that  be  ;  what  reverence 
could  an  archbishop  entertain  for  one  like 
yourself  or  your  grandsire. 

Marbenel. — More  than  you  imagine.  He 
was  one  of  us,  at  least  his  father  was,  and  he 
could  never  forget  what  he  had  learned  with 
reverence  in  his  infancy.  He  said  he  had 
tried  to  forget  it,  but  he  could  not ;  that  the 
ruoA  was  continually  upon  him,  and  that  even 
from  his  childhood  he  had  borne  its  terrors 
with  a  troubled  mind,  till  at  last  he  could  bear 
himself  no  longer;  so  he  went  to  my  grand- 
sire,  with  whom  he  remained  one  whole  night; 
he  then  returned  to  his  diocese,  where  he 
shortly  afterwards  died,  in  much  renown  for 
sanctity. 

Myself. — What  you  say  surprises  me.  Have 
you  reason  to  suppose  that  many  of  you  are 
to  be  found  amongst  the  priesthood  ? 

Marbenel. — Not  to  suppose,  but  to  know  it. 
There  are  many  such  as  I  amongst  the  priest- 
hood, and  not  amongst  the  inferior  priesthood 
8 


either  ;  some  of  the  most  learned  and  famed 
of  them  in  Spain  have  been  of  us,  and  of  our 
blood  at  least,  and  many  of  them  at  this  day 
think  as  I  do.  There  is  one  particular  festi- 
val of  the  year  at  which  four  dignified  eccle- 
siastics are  sure  to  visit  me;  and  then,  when 
all  is  made  close  and  secure,  and  the  fitting 
ceremonies  have  been  gone  through,  they  sit 
down  upon  the  floor  and  curse. 

Myself. — Are  you  numerous  in  the  large 
towns  ] 

Marbenel, — By  no  means ;  our  places  of 
abode  are  seldom  the  large  towns ;  we  prefer 
the  villages,  and  rarely  enter  the  large  towns 
but  on  business.  Indeed,  we  are  not  a  nu- 
merous people,  and  there  are  few  provinces 
of  Spain  which  contain  more  than  twenty 
families.  None  of  us  are  poor,  and  those 
among  us  who  serve,  do  so  more  from  choice 
than  necessity,  for  by  serving  each  other  we 
acquire  different  trades.  Not  unfrequently 
the  time  of  service  is  that  of  courtship  also, 
and  the  servants  eventually  marry  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  house. 

We  continued  in  discourse  the  greater  part 
of  the  night;  the  next  morning  I  prepared  to 
depart.  My  companion,  however,  advised  me 
to  remain  where  I  was  for  that  day.  "And 
if  you  respect  my  counsel,"  said  he,  "you 
will  not  proceed  farther  in  this  manner.  To- 
night the  diligence  will  arrive  from  Estrema- 
dura,  on  its  way  to  Madrid.  Deposit  yourself 
therein ;  it  is  the  safest  and  most  speedy  mode 
of  travelling.  As  for  your  Caballeria,  I  will 
myself  purchase  her.  My  servant  is  here, 
and  has  informed  me  that  she  will  be  of  ser- 
vice to  us.  Let  us,  therefore,  pass  the  day 
together  in  communion,  like  brothers,  and  then 
proceed  on  our  separate  journeys."  We  did 
pass  the  day  together;  and  when  the  dili- 
gence arrived  I  deposited  myself  within,  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  second  day  arrived  "M 
Madrid. 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Lodging  at  Madrid — My  Hostess — British  Ambassador — Mendizabal — Baltasar — Duties  o.  a  Na- 
tional— Young  Blood — The  Execution — Population  of  Madrid — The  Higher  Orders — The  Lower 
Classes— The  Bull  Fighter — The  Crabbed  Giiaiio. 


It  was  the  commencement  of  February 
•when  I  reached  Madrid.  After  staying  a 
few  days  at  a  posada,  I  removed  to  a  lodging 
which  I  engaged  at  No.  3,  in  the  Calle  de  la 
Zarza,  a  dark  dirty  street,  which,  however, 
was  close  to  the  Puerta  del  Sol,  the  most  cen- 
tral point  of  Madrid,  into  which  four  or  five 
of  the  principal  streets  debouche,  and  which 
is,  at  all  times  of  the  year,  the  great  place  of 
assemblage  for  the  idlers  of  the  capital,  poor 
or  rich. 

It  was  rather  a  singular  house  in  which  I 
had  taken  up  my  abode.  I  occupied  the  front 
part  of  the  first  floor;  my  apartments  consist- 
ed of  an  immense  parlour,  and  a  small  cham- 
ber on  one  side  in  which  I  slept;  the  parlour, 
notwithstanding  its  size,  contained  very  little 
furniture:  a  few  chairs,  a  table,  and  a  species 
of  sofa,  constituted  the  whole.  It  was  very 
cold  and  airy,  owing  to  the  draughts  which 
poured  in  from  three  large  windows,  and  from 
sundry  doors.  The  mistress  of  the  house,  at- 
tended by  her  two  daughters,  ushered  me  in. 
"  Did  you  ever  see  a  more  magnificent  apart- 
\  ment?"  demanded  the  former;  "is  it  not  fit 
r  for  a  king's  son?  Last  winter  it  was  occu- 
pied by  the  great  General  Espartero." 

The  hostess  was  an  exceedingly  fat  wo- 
man, a  native  of  Valladolid,  in  Old  Castille, 
"  Have  you  any  other  family,"  I  demanded, 
"besides  these  daughters?''  "Two  sons," 
^he  replied;  "one  of  them  an  officer  in  the 
army,  father  of  this  urchin,"  pointing  to  a 
wicReo  out  clever  looking  boy  of  about  twelve, 
who  at  that  moment  bounded  into  the  room  ; 
"  the  )tFjer  is  the  most  celebrated  national  in 
Madri  I :  he  is  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  his  name 
is  Baltasar.  He  has  much  influence  with  the 
othe-  hationals,  on  account  of  the  liberality  of 
hispjiinions,  and  a  word  from  him  is  sufl[icient 
Jh  bring  them  all  out  armed  and  furious  to  the 
Puerta  del  Sol.  He  is,  however,  at  present 
confined  to  his  bed,  for  he  is  very  dissipated 
and  fond  of  the  company  of  bull-fighters  and 
people  still  worse." 

As  my  principal  motive  for  visiting  the 
Spanish  capital  was  the  hope  of  obtaining 
permission  from  the  government  to  print  the 
New  Testament  in  the  Caslillian  language, 
for  circulation  in  Spain,  I  lost  no  time,  upon 
my  arrival,  in  taking  what  I  considered  to  be 
the  necessary  steps. 

I  was  an  entire  stranger  at  Madrid,  and 
bore  no  letters  of  introduction  to  any  persons 
of  influence,  who  might  have  assisted  me  in 
this  undertaking,  so  that  notwithstanding  I 
entertained  a  hope  of  success,  relying  on  the 
assistance  of  the  Almighty,  this  hope  was  not 
at  all  times  very  vivid,  but  was  frequently 
overcast  with  the  clouds  of  despondency. 


Mendizabal  was  at  this  time  prime  minis- 
ter of  Spain,  and  was  considered  as  a  man  of 

almost  unbounded  power,  in  whose  hands 
were  placed  the  destinies  of  the  country.  I 
therefore  considered  that  if  I  could  by  any 
means  induce  him  to  favour  my  views,  T 
should  have  no  reason  to  fear  interruption 
from  other  quarters,  and  I  determined  upon 
applying  to  him. 

Before  taking  this  step  however,  I  deemed 
it  advisable  to  wait  upon  Mr.  Villiers,  the 
British  ambassador  at  Madrid  ;  and  with  the 

f  freedom  permitted  to  a  British  subject,  to  ask 

I  his  advice  in  this  aflfair.  I  was  received  with 
great  kindness,  and  enjoyed  a  conversation 
with  him  on  various  subjects  before  I  intro- 

]  duced  the  matter  which  I  had  most  at  heart. 

I  He  said  that  if  I  wished  for  an  interview  with 
Mendizabal,  he  would  endeavour  to  procure 

I  me  one,  but,  at  the  same  time,  told  me  frankly 
that  he  could  not  hope  that  any  good  would 
arise  from  it,  as  he  knew  him  to  be  violently 
prejudiced  against  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  and  was  far  more  likely  to  dis- 
countenance than  encourage  any  efforts  which 
they  might  be  disposed  to  make  for  introduc- 
ing the  Gospel  into  Spain.  I,  however,  re- 
mained resolute  in  my  desire  to  make  the 
trial,  and  before  I  left  him,  obtained  a  letter 
of  introduction  to  Mendizabal. 

Early  one  morning  I  repaired  to  the  palace, 
in  a  wing  of  which  was  the  oflSce  of  the  Prime 
Minister;  it  was  bitterly  cold,  and  the  Gua- 
darama,  of  which  there  is  a  noble  view  from 
the  palace-plain,  was  covered  with  snow. 
For  at  least  three  hours  I  remained  shivering 
with  cold  in  an  ante-room,  with  several  other 
aspirants  for  an  interview  with  the  man  of 
power.  At  last  his  private  secretary  made 
his  appearance,  and  after  putting  various 
questions  to  the  others,  addressed  himself  to 
me,  asking  who  I  was  and  what  I  wanted. 
I  told  him  that  I  was  an  Englishman,  and  the 
bearer  of  a  letter  from  the  British  Minister. 
"If  you  have  no  objection,  I  will  myself  de- 
liver it  to  His  Excellency,"  said  he;  where- 
upon I  handed  it  to  him  and  he  withdrew. 
Several  individuals  were  admitted  before  me; 
at  last,  however,  my  own  turn  came,  and  I 
was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  Mendizabal. 
He  stood  behind  a  table  covered  with  pa- 
pers, on  which  his  eyes  were  intently  fixed. 
He  took  not  the  slightest  notice  when  I  enter- 
ed, and  I  had  leisure  enough  to  survey  him : 
he  was  a  huge  athletic  man,  semewhat  taller 
than  myself,  who  measure  six  feel  two  with- 
out my  shoes;  his  complexion  was  florid,  his 
features  fine  and  regular,  his  nose  quite  aqui- 
line, and  his  teeth  splendidly  white :  though 
scarcely  fifty  years  of  age,  his  hair  was  re- 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


M 


markably  gray;  he  was  dressed  in  a  rich 
morning  gown,  with  a  gold  chain  round  his 
neck,  and  morocco  slippers  on  his  feet. 

His  secretary,  a  fine  intellectual  looking 
man,  who,  as  I  was  subsequently  informed, 
had  acquired  a  name  both  in  English  and 
Spanish  literature,  stood  at  one  end  of  the 
table  with  papers  in  his  hands. 

After  I  had  been  standing  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  Mendizabal  suddenly  lifted  up  a 
pair  of  sharp  eyes,  and  fixed  them  upon  me 
with  a  peculiarly  scrutinizing  glance. 

"  I  have  seen  a  glance  very  similar  to  that 
amongst  the  Beni  Israel,"  thought  I  to  myself. 


My  interview  with  him  lasted  nearly  an 
hour.  Some  singular  discourse  passed  be- 
tween us :  I  found  him,  as  I  had  been  in- 
formed, a  bitter  enemy  to  the  Bible  Society, 
of  which  he  spoke  in  terms  of  hatred  and 
contempt,  and  by  no  means  a  friend  to  the 
Christian  religion,  which  I  could  easily  ac- 
cour>*  for.  I  was  not  discouraged,  however, 
and  pressed  upon  him  the  matter  which 
brought  me  thither,  and  was  eventually  so 
far  successful,  as  to  obtain  a  promise,  that 
at  the  expiration  of  a  few  months,  when  he 
hoped  the  country  would  be  in  a  more  tran- 
quil state,  I  should  be  allowed  to  print  the 
Scriptures. 

As  I  was  going  away  he  said,  "Yours  is 
not  the  first  application  I  hate  had :  ever 
since  i  have  held  the  reins  of  government  I 
have  been  pestered  in  this  manner,  by  Eng- 
lish calling  themselves  Evangelical  Chris- 
tians, who  have  of  late  come  flocking  over 
into  Spain.  Only  last  week  a  hunchbacked 
fellow  found  his  way  into  my  cabinet  whilst  I 
was  engaged  in  important  business,  and  told 

me  that  Christ  was  coming 

And  now 

you  have  made  your  appearance,  and  almost 
persuaded  me  to  embroil  myself  yet  more 
with  the  priesthood,  as  if  they  did  not  abhor 
me  enough  already.  What  a  strange  infatu- 
ation is  this,  which  drives  you  over  lands  and 
waters  with  Bibles  in  your  hands.  My  good 
sir,  it  is  not  Bibles  we  want,  but  rather  guns 
and  gunpowder,  to  put  the  rebels  down  with, 
and  above  all,  money,  that  we  may  pay  the 
troops ;  whenever  you  come  with  these  three 
things  you  shall  have  a  hearty  welcome,  if 
not,  we  really  can  dispense  with  your  visits, 
however  great  the  honour." 

Mi/se'f. — There  will  be  no  end  to  the  trou- 
bles of  this  afflicted  country  until  the  Gospel 
have  free  circulation. 

Mendizabal. — I  expected  that  answer,  for 
I  have  not  lived  thirteen  years  in  England 
without  forming  some  acquaintance  with  the 
phraseology  of  you  good  folks.  Now,  now, 
pray  go;  you  see  how  engaged  I  am.  Come 
again  whenever  you  please,  but  let  it  not  be 
within  the  next  three  months. 

"  Don  Jorge,"  said  my  hostess,  coming  into 
my  apartment  one  morning,  whilst  I  sat  at 
breakfast  with  my  feet  upon  the  brasero, 
•'here  is  my  son  Baltasarito,  the  national; 
de  has  risen  from  his  bed,  and  hearing  that 


there  is  an  Englishman  in  the  house,  he  has 
begged  me  to  introduce  him,  for  he  loves 
Englishmen  on  account  of  the  liberality  of 
their  opinions ;  there  he  is,  what  do  yoii 
think  of  him]" 

I  did  not  state  to  his  mother  what  I  thought; 
it  appeared  to  me,  however,  that  she  was  quite 
right  in  calling  him  Baltasarito,  which  is  tlie 
diminutive  of  Baltasar,  forasmuch  as  that  an- 
cient and  sonorous  name  had  certainly  never 
been  bestowed  on  a  more  diminutive  person- 
age: he  might  measure  about  five  feet  one 
inch,  though  he  was  rather  corpulent  for  his 
height;  his  face  looked  yellow  and  sickly, 
he  had,  however,  a  kind  of  fanfaronading  air, 
and  his  eyes,  which  were  of  dark  brown,  were 
both  sharp  and  brilliant.  His  dress,  or  rather 
his  undress,  was  somewhat  shabby:  he  had 
a  foraging  cap  on  his  head,  and  in  lieu  of  a 
morning  gown,  he  wore  a  sentinel's  old  great 
coat. 

"  I  am  glad  to  make  your  acquaintance, 
Senior  national,"  said  I  to  him,  after  his  mo- 
ther had  departed,  and  Baltasar  had  taken  a 
seat,  and  of  course  lighted  a  paper  cigar  at 
the  brasero.  "I  am  glad  to  have  made  your 
acquaintance,  more  especially  as  your  lady 
mother  has  informed  me  that  you  have  great 
influence  with  the  nationals.  I  am  a  stranger 
in  Spain,  and  may  want  a  friend  ;  fortune  has 
been  kind  to  me  in  procuring  me  one  who  is 
a  member  of  so  powerful  a  body." 

Baltasar. — Yes,  I  have  a  great  deal  to  say 
with  the  other  nationals;  there  is  none  in 
Madrid  better  known  than  Baltasar,  or  more 
dreaded  by  the  Carlists.  You  say  you  may 
stand  in  need  of  a  friend;  there  is  no  fear  of 
my  failing  you  in  any  emergency.  Both  my- 
self and  any  of  the  other  nationals  will  be 
proud  to  go  out  with  you  as  padrinos,  should 
you  have  any  affair  of  honour  on  your  hands. 
But  why  do  you  not  become  one  of  usi  We 
would  gladly  receive  you  into  our  body. 

Myself. — Is  the  duty  of  a  national  particu- 
larly hard  ? 

Baltasar. — By  no  means;  we  hare  to  do 
duty  about  once  every  fifteen  days,  and  then 
there  is  occasionally  a  review,  which  does  not 
last  long.  No !  the  duties  of  a  national  are 
by  no  means  onerous,  and  the  privileges  art 
great.  1  have  seen  three  of  my  bro"ier  na-^ 
tionals  walk  up  and  down  the  Prado  of  a 
Sunday,  with  sticks  in  their  hands,  cudgelling 
all  the  suspicious  characters,  and  it  is  our 
common  practice  to  scour  the  streets  at  night; 
and  then  if  we  meet  any  person  who  is  ob- 
noxious to  us,  we  fall  upon  him,  and  with  a 
knife  or  a  bayonet  generally  leave  him  wal- 
lowing in  his  blood  on  the  pavement:  no  one 
but  a  national  would  be  permitted  to  do  that. 

Myself. — Of  course  none  but  persons  of 
liberal  opinions  are  to  be  found  amongst  the 
nationals? 

Baltasar. — Would  it  were  so!  there  are 
some  amongst  us,  Don  Jorge,  who  are  no 
better  than  they  should  be;  they  are  few, 
however,  and  for  the  most  part  well  known. 
Theirs  is  no  pleasant  life,  for  when  they 
mount  guard  with  the  rest  they  are  scouted, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


and  not  unfrequently  cudgelled.  Tlie  law 
compels  all  of  a  certain  age  either  to  serve  in 
the  army  or  to  become  national  soldiers,  on 
which  account  some  of  these  Godos  are  to  be 
found  amongst  us. 

Myself. — Are  there  many  in  Madrid  of  the 
Carlist  opinion? 

Ballasar. — Not  among  the  young  people; 
the  greater  part  of  the  Madrilenian  Carlists 
capable  of  bearing  arms  departed  long  ago  to 
join  the  ranks  of  the  factious  in  the  Bisque 
provinces.  Those  who  remain  are  for  the 
most  part  gray-beards  and  priests,  good  for 
nothing  but  to  assemble  in  private  coffee- 
houses, and  to  prate  treason  together.  Let 
them  prate,  Don  Jorge;  let  them  prate;  the 
destinies  of  Spain  do  not  depend  on  the  wishes 
of  ojalateros  and  pasteleros,  but  on  the  hands 
of  stout  gallant  nationals  like  myself  and 
friends,  Don  Jorge. 

Myself. — I  am  sorry  to  learn  from  your  lady 
mother,  that  you  are  strangely  dissipated. 

Ballasar. — Ho,  ho,  Don  Jorge,  she  has  told 
you  that,  has  she ;  what  would  you  have,  Don 
Jorge?  lam  young,  and  young  blood  will 
have  its  course.  I  am  called  BaWasar  the 
gay  by  all  the  other  nationals,  and  it  is  on 
account  of  my  gaiety  and  the  liberality  of  my 
opinions  that  I  am  so  popular  among  them. 
When  I  mount  guard,  I  invariably  carry  my 
guitar  with  me,  and  then  there  is  sure  to  be  a 
funcion  at  the  guard-house.  We  send  for  wine, 
Don  Jorge,  and  the  nationals  become  wild, 
Don  Jorge,  dancing  and  drinking  through  the 
night,  whilst  Baltasarito  strums  the  guitar 
and  sings  them  songs  of  Germania : 

"  Una  romi  sin  pachi 
Le  peno  a  su  chindomar,"  &c.,  &c. 

That  is  Gitano,  Don  Jorge;  1  learnt  it  from 
the  toreros  of  Andalusia,  who  all  speak  Gita- 
no, and  are  mostly  of  Gipsy  blood.  I  learnt 
it  from  them;  they  are  all  friends  of  mine, 
Monies  Sevilla  and  Poquito  Pan.  I  never 
miss  a  funcion  of  bulls,  Don  Jorge.  Balta- 
sar  is  sure  to  be  there  with  his  amiga.  Don 
Jorge,  there  are  no  buU-funcions  in  the  win- 
ter, orl  would  carry  you  to  one,  but  happily 
tc-morrow  there  is  an  execution,  a  funcion  de 
^  horca ;  and  there  we  will  go,  Don  Jorge. 

We  did  go  to  see  this  execution,  which  I 
shall  long  remember.  The  criminals  were 
two  young  men,  brothers:  they  suffered  for  a 
most  atrocious  murder,  having  in  the  dead  of 
night  broke  open  the  house  of  an  aged  man, 
whom  they  put  to  death,  and  whose  property 
they  stole.  Criminals  in  Spain  are  not  hang- 
ed as  they  are  in  England,  or  guillotined  as 
in  France,  but  strangled  upon  a  wooden  stage. 
They  sit  down  on  a  kind  of  chair  with  a  post 
behind,  to  which  is  affixed  an  iron  collar  with 
a  screw  ;  this  iron  collar  is  made  to  clasp  the 
neck  of  the  prisoner,  and  on  a  certain  signal 
it  is  drawn  tighter  and  tighter  by  means  of 
the  screw,  until  life  becomes  extinct.  After 
we  had  waited  amongst  the  assembled  multi- 
tude a  considerable  time,  the  first  of  the  cul- 
prits appeared ;  he  was  mounted  on  an  ass, 
vrithout  saddle  or  stirrups,  his  legs  being 


allowed  to  dangle  nearly  to  the  ^oiird.  H© 
was  dressed  in  yellow  su!ph\ir-ccloured  rches, 
with  a  high  peaked  conical  red  hat  on  his 
head,  which  was  shaven.  Between  his  har.ds 
he  held  a  parchment,  on  Mhich  was  written 
something,  I  believe  the  confession  of  faith. 
Two  priests  led  the  animal  by  th(  bridle;  two 
others  walked  on  either  side  chanting  litanies, 
amongst  which  I  distinguished  the  words  of 
heavenly  peace  and  tranquillity,  for  the  culprit 
had  been  reconciled  to  the  church,  had  con- 
fessed and  received  absolution,  and  had  been 
promised  admission  to  heaven.  He  did  not 
exhibit  the  least  symptom  of  fear,  but  dis- 
mounted from  the  animal  and  was  led,  not 
supported,  up  the  scaffold,  where  he  was 
placed  on  the  chair,  and  the  fatal  collar  put 
round  his  neck.  One  of  the  priests  then  in  a 
loud  voice  commenced  saying  the  Belief,  and 
the  culprit  repeated  the  words  after  him.  On 
a  sudden,  the  executioner,  who  stood  behind, 
commenced  turning  the  screw,  which  was  of 
prodigious  force,  and  the  wretched  man  was 
almost  instantly  a  corpse;  but,  as  the  screw 
went  round,  the  priest  began  to  shout,  ^^pax 
et  misericordia  et  tranquilli'as,''''  and  still  as  he 
shouted,  his  voice  became  louder  and  louder 
till  the  lofty  walls  of  Madrid  rang  with  it; 
then  stooping  down,  he  placed  his  mouth 
close  to  the  culprit's  ear,  still  shouting,  just 
as  if  he  would  pursue  the  spirit  through  its 
course  to  eternity,  cheering  it  on  its  w^y. 
The  effect  was  tremendous.  I  myself  was 
so  excited  that  I  involuntarily  shouted  "  mise- 
ricordia,'''' and  so  did  many  ethers.  G(  d  was 
not  thought  of;  Christ  was  not  thought  of; 
only  the  priest  was  thought  of,  for  he  seemed 
at  that  moment  to  be  the  first  being  in  exist- 
ence, and  to  have  the  power  of  opening  and 
shutting  the  gates  of  heaven  or  of  hell,  just  as 
he  should  think  proper.  A  striking  instance 
of  the  successful  working  of  the  Popish  sys- 
tem, whose  grand  aim  has  ever  been  to  keep 
people's  minds  as  far  as  possible  from  God, 
and  to  centre  their  hopes  and  fears  in  the 
priesthood.  The  execution  of  the  second  cul- 
prit was  precisely  similar;  he  ascended  the 
scaffold  a  few  minutes  after  his  brother  had 
breathed  his  last. 

I  have  visited  most  of  the  principal  capitals 
of  the  world,  but  upon  the  whole  none  has  ever 
so  interested  me  as  this  city  of  Madrid,  in  which 
I  now  found  myself.  1  will  not  dwell  upon 
its  streets,  its  edifices,  its  public  squares,  its 
fountains,  thr.ugh  some  of  these  are  remarka- 
ble enough  :  but  Petersburg  has  finer  streets, 
Paris  and  Edinburgh  more  stately  edifices, 
London  far  nobler  squares,  whilst  Shimz  ran 
boast  of  more  costly  fountains,  though  not 
cooler  waters.  But  the  population  !  Within 
a  mud  wall,  scarcely  one  league  and  a  half 
in  circuit,  are  contained  two  hundred  thousand 
human  beings,  certainly  forming  the  most 
extraordinary  vital  mass  to  be  found  in  the 
entire  world ;  and  be  it  always  remembered 
that  this  mass  is  strictly  Spanish.  The  po- 
pulation of  Constantinople  is  extraordinary 
enough,  but  to  form  it  twenty  nations  have 
contributed ;   Greeks,  Armenians,  Persians, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


61 


Poles,  Jews,  the  latter,  by  the  by,  of  Spanish 
origin,  and  speaking  amongst  themselves  the 
old  Spanish  language;  but  the  huge  popula- 
tion of  Madrid,  with  the  exception  of  a  sprink- 
ling of  foreigners,  chiefly  French  tailors,  glove 
makers  and  peruquiers,  is  strictly  Spanish, 
though  a  considerable  portion  are  not  natives 
of  the  place.  Here  are  no  colonies  of  Ger- 
mans, as  at  Saint  Petersburg;  no  English 
factories,  as  at  Lisbon;  no  multitudes  of 
insolent  Yankees  lounging  through  the  streets, 
as  at  the  Havannah,  with  an  air  which  seems 
to  say,  the  land  is  our  own  whenever  we 
choose  to  take  it;  but  a  population  which, 
however  strange  and  wild,  and  composed  of 
various  elements,  is  Spanish,  and  will  remain 
so  as  long  as  the  city  itself  shall  exist.  Hail, 
ye  aguadores  of  Asturia  !  who,  in  your  dress 
of  coarse  duffel  and  leathern  skull-caps,  are 
seen  seated  in  hundreds  by  the  fountain  sides, 
upon  your  empty  water  casks,  or  staggering 
wit'f  them  filled  to  the  topmost  stories  of 
lofty  houses.  Hail,  ye  caleseros  of  Valencia ! 
who,  lolling  lazily  against  your  vehicles, 
rasp  tobacco  for  your  paper  cigars  whilst 
waiting  for  a  fare.  Hail  to  you,  bt^ggars  of 
La  Mancha  I  men  and  women,  who,  wrapped 
in  coarse  blankets,  demand  charity  indiffer- 
ently at  the  gate  of  the  palace  or  the  prison. 
Hail  to  you,  valets  from  the  mountains,  mayor- 
domos  and  secretaries  from  Biscay  and  Gui- 
puscoa,  toreros  from  Andalusia,  riposteros  from 
Galicia,  shopkeepers  from  Catalonia !  Hail 
to  ye,  Castilians,  Estremenians  and  Arago- 
nese,  of  whatever  calling!  And  lastly, 
genuine  sons  of  the  capital,  rabble  of  Madrid, 
ye  twenty  thousand  manolos,  whose  terrible 
knives,  on  the  second  morning  of  May,  work- 
ed such  grim  havoc  amongst  the  legions  of 
Murat ! 

And  the  higher  orders — the  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  the  cavaliers  and  senoras  ;  shall  I 
pass  them  by  in  silence  1  The  truth  is  1  have 
little  to  say  about  them  ;  I  mingled  but  little 
in  their  society,  and  what  I  saw  of  them  by 
no  means  tended  to  exalt  them  in  my  imagi- 
nation. I  am  not  one  of  those  who,  wherever 
they  go,  make  it  a  constant  practice  to  dis- 
parage the  higher  orders,  and  to  exalt  the 
populace  at  their  expense.  There  are  many 
capitals  in  which  the  high  aristocracy,  the 
lords  and  ladies,  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
nobility,  constitute  the  most  remarkable  and 
the  most  interesting  part  of  the  populatiorv 
This  is  the  case  at  Vienna,  and  more  especial- 
ly at  London.  Who  can  rival  the  English 
aristocrat  in  lofty  stature,  in  dignified  bearing, 
in  strength  of  hand,  and  valour  of  heart? 
Who  rides  a  nobler  horse  1  Who  has  a  firmer 
seat  T  And  who  more  lovely  than  his  wife,  or 
sister,  or  daughter?  But  with  respect  to  the 
Spanish  aristocracy,  the  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
the  cavaliers  and  senoras,  I  believe  the  less 
that  is  said  of  them  on  the  points  to  which  I 
have  just  alluded  the  better.  I  confess, 
however,  that  I  know  little  about  them;  they 
have,  perhaps,  their  admirers,  and  to  the  pens 
of  such  I  leave  their  panegyric.  Le  Sage  has 
described  them  as  they  were  nearly  two  cen- 


turies ago.  His  description  is  any  thing  but 
captivating,  and  1  do  not  think  that  they  have 
improved  since  tiie  period  of  the  sketches  of 
the  immortal  Frenchman.  I  would  sooner 
talk  of  the  lower  class,  not  only  of  Madrid 
but  of  all  Spain.  The  Spaniard  of  the  lower 
class  has  much  more  interest  for  me,  whether 
manolo,  labourer,  or  muleteer.  He  is  not  a 
common  being;  he  is  an  extraordinary  man. 
He  has  not,  it  is  true,  the  amiability  and  gene- 
rosity of  the  Russian  mujik,  who  will  give 
his  only  rouble  rather  than  the  stranger  shall 
want;  nor  his  placid  courage,  which  renders 
him  insensihle  to  fear,  and  at  the  command 
of  his  Tsar,  sends  him  singing  to  certain 
death.*  There  is  more  hardness  and  less 
self-devotion  in  the  disposition  of  the  Span- 
iard ;  he  possesses,  however,  a  spirit  of  proud 
independence,  which  it  is  impossible  but  to 
admire.  He  is  ignorant,  of  course;  but  it  is 
singular,  that  I  have  invariably  found  amongst 
the  low  and  slightly  educated  classes  far 
more  liberality  of  sentiment  than  amongst  the 
upper.  It  has  long  been  the  fashion  to  talk 
of  the  bigotry  of  the  Spaniards,  and  their 
mean  jealousy  of  foreigners.  This  is  true  to 
a  certain  extent ;  but  it  chiefly  holds  good 
with  respect  to  the  upper  classes.  If  foreign 
valour  or  talent  has  never  received  its  proper 
meed  in  Spain,  the  great  body  of  the  Spaniards 
are  certainly  not  in  fault.  I  have  heard  Wel- 
lington calumniated  in  this  proud  scene  of  his 
triumphs,  but  never  by  the  old  soldiers  of 
Aragon  and  the  Asturias,  who  assisted  to 
vanquish  the  French  at  Salamanca  and  the 
Pyrenees.  I  have  heard  the  manner  of  riding 
of  an  English  jockey  criticised,  but  it  was  by 
the  idiotic  heir  of  Medina  Cell,  and  not  by  a 
picador  of  the  Madrilenian  bull  ring. 

Appropos  of  bull-fighters: — Shortly  after 
my  arrival,  I  one  day  entered  alow  tavern  in 
a  neigbourhood  notorious  for  robbery  and 
murder,  and  in  which  for  the  last  two  hours  I 
had  been  wandering  on  a  voyage  of  discovery. 
I  was  fatigued,  and  required  refreshment.  I 
found  the  place  thronged  with  people,  who  had 
all  the  appearance  of  ruffians.  I  saluted 
them,  upon  which  they  made  way  for  me  to 
the  bar,  taking  off  their  sombreros  with  great 
ceremony.  I  emptied  a  glass  of  val  de  perias, 
and  was  about  to  pay  for  it  and  depart,  when 
a  horrible  looking  fellow,  dressed  in  a  buff 
jerkin,  leather  breeches,  and  jackboots,  which 
came  half  way  up  his  thighs,  and  having  on 
his  head  a  white  hat,  the  rims  of  which  were 
at  least  a  yard  and  a  half  in  circumference, 
pushed  through  the  crowd,  and  confronting 
me,  roared : — 

"  Otra  capita !  vamos  Inglesito :  Otra  co- 
pita  r 

"Thank  you,  my  good  sir,  you  are  very- 
kind,  you  appear  to  know  me,  but  I  have  not 
the  honour  of  knowing  yon." 

"Not  know  me!"  replied  the  being.     "I 

*  At  the  last  attack  on  Warsaw,  when  the  loss 
of  the  Russians  amounted  to  upwards  of  twenty 
thousand  men,  the  soldiery  mounted  the  breaen 
repeating,  in  measured  chant,  one  of  their  popular 
songs:  "  Come,  let  us  cut  the  cabbage,"  &c. 


69 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


am  Sevilla,  the  torero.  I  know  you  well ; 
you  are  the  friend  of  Baltasarito,  the  national, 
who  is  a  frifad  of  mine,  and  a  very  good  sub- 
ject." 

Then  turning  to  the  company,  he  said  in  a 
sonorous  tone,  laying  a  strong  emphasis  on 
the  last  syllable  of  every  word,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  gente  rufianesca  throughout 
Spain: — "Cavaliers,  and  strong  men,  this 
cavalier  is  the  friend  of  a  friend  of  mine.  £s 
tnucho  hombre.  There  is  none  like  him  in 
Spain.  He  speaks  the  crabbed  Gitano  though 
he  is  an  Inglesito." 

"  We  do  not  believe  it, "  replied  several 
grave  voices.     "It  is  not  possible." 

"  It  is  not  possible,  say  you  1  I  tell  you  it 
is.  Come  forward,  Balseiro,  you  who  have 
been  in  prison  all  your  life,  and  are  always 
boasting  that  you  can  speak  the  crabbed  Gi- 
tano, though  I  say  you  know  nothing  of  it — 
come  forward  and  speak  to  his  worship  in  the 
crabbed  Gitano." 

A  low,  slight,  but  active  figure  stepped  for- 
ward. He  was  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  and  wore 
a  montero  cap  ;  his  features  were  handsome, 
but  they  were  those  of  a  demon. 

He  spoke  a  few  words  in  the  broken  Gipsy 
slang  of  the  prison,  inquiring  of  me  whether 


I  had  even  been  in  the  condemned  cell,  anu 
whether  I  knew  what  a  Gitana*  was? 

"Vamos  Inglesito,"  shouted  Sevilla,  in  a 
voice  of  thunder;  "answer  the  monro  in  the 
crabbed  Gitano." 

I  answered  the  robber,  for  such  he  was,  and 
one,  too,  whose  name  will  live  for  many  a 
year  in  the  ruffian  histories  of  Madrid  ;  1  an- 
swered him  in  a  speech  of  some  length,  in  the 
dialect  of  the  Estremenian  Gipsies. 

"  I  believe  it  is  the  crabbed  Gitano,"  mut- 
tered Balseiro.  "  It  is  either  that  or  English, 
for  I  understand  not  a  word  of  it." 

"  Did  I  not  say  to  you,"  cried  the  bull-fight- 
er, "  that  you  knew  nothing  of  the  crabbed 
Gitano  1  But  this  Inglesito  does.  I  under- 
stood all  he  said.  Vaya,  there  is  none  like 
him  for  the  crabbed  Gitano.  He  is  a  good 
ginete,  too;  next  to  rnyself,  there  is  none  like 
him,  only  he  rides  with  stirrup  leathers  too 
short.  Inglesito,  if  you  have  need  of  money, 
I  will  lend  you  my  purse.  All  I  have  is  at 
your  service,  and  that  is  not  a  little;  I  have 
just  gained  four  thousand  chules  by  the  lot- 
tery. Vamos  Inglesilo!  nira  copiia.  lo  lo 
pagare  todo.     lo  Sevilla ! " 

And  he  clapped  his  hand  repeatedly  on  his 
breast,  reiterating  "io  Sevilla!   Jo" 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Intrigues  at  Court — Quesada  and  Galiano — Dissolution  of  the  Cortes — The  Secretary — Arai^'-nese 
Pertinaciiy — The  Council  of  Trent — The  Asturian — The  Three  Thieves — Benedict  Moi — The 
Men  of  Lucerne — The  Treasure. 


Mendizabal  had  told  me  to  call  upon  him 
again  at  the  end  of  three  months,  giving  me 
hopes  that  he  would  not  then  oppose  himself 
to  the  publication  of  the  New  Testament; 
before,  however,  the  three  months  had  elapsed, 
he  had  fallen  into  disgrace,  and  had  ceased  to 
be  prime  minister. 

An  intrigue  had  been  formed  against  him,  at 
the  head  of  which  were  two  quondam  friends  of 
his,  and  fellow-townsmen,  Gaditanians,  Istn- 
ritz  and  Alca  Galiano ;  both  of  them  had  been 
egregious  liberals  in  their  day,  and  indeed 
principal  members  of  these  cortes,  which  on 
the  Angouleme  invasion,  had  hurried  Ferdi- 
nand from  Madrid  to  Cadiz,  and  kept  him 
prisoner  there  until  that  impregnable  town 
thought  proper  to  surrender,  and  both  of  them 
had  been  subsequently  refugees  in  England, 
where  they  had  spent  a  considerable  number 
of  years. 

These  gentlemen,  however,  finding  them- 
selves about  this  time  exceedingly  poor,  and 
not  seeing  any  immediate  prospect  of  advan- 
tage from  supporting  Mendizabal ;  considering 
themselves,  moreover,  quite  as  good  men  as 
he,  and  as  capable  of  governing  Spain  in  the 
present  emergency,  determined  to  secede  from 
the  party  of  their  friend,  whom  they  had  hith- 
erto supported,  and  to  set  up  for  themselves. 

They   therefore  formed   an  opposition  to^ 


Mendizabal  in  the  cortes  :  the  members  of 
this  opposition  assumed  the  name  of  modera- 
dos,  in  contradistinction  to  Mendizabal  and 
his  followers,  who  were  ultra  liberals.  The 
moderados  were  encouraged  by  the  Queen 
Regent  Christina,  who  aimed  at  a  little  more 
power  than  the  liberals  were  disposed  to  allow 
her,  and  who  had  a  personal  dislike  to  the 
minister.  They  were  likewise  encouraged 
by  Cordova,  who  at  that  time  commanded  the 
army,  and  was  displeased  with  Mendizabal, 
inasmuch  as  the  latter  did  not  supply  the  pe- 
cuniary demands  of  the  general  with  sufficient 
alacrity,  though  it  is  said  that  the  greater  part 
of  what  was  sent  for  the  payment  of  the  troops 
was  not  devoted  to  that  purpose,  but  was  in- 
vested in  the  French  funds  in  the  name  and 
for  the  use  and  behoof  of  the  said  Cordova. 

It  is,  however,  by  no  means  my  intention  to 
write  an  account  of  the  political  events  which 
were  passing  around  me  at  this  period  ;  suffice 
it  to  say,  that  Mendizabal,  finding  himself 
thwarted  in  all  his  projects  by  the  regent  and 
the  general,  the  former  of  whom  would  adopt 
no  measure  which  he  recommended,  whilst 
the  latter  remained  inactive  and  refused  to  en- 
gage the  enemy,  which  by  this  time  had  re- 


*  Twelve  ounces  of  bread,  email  pound,  as  given 
in  the  prison. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


63 


covered  from  the  check  caused  by  the  death  1 
of  Zuinalacarregui,  and  was  making  consid- 
erable progress,  resigned  and  left  the  field 
for  the  time  open  to  his  adversaries,  though 
he  possessed  an  immense  majority  in  the  cortes, 
and  had  the  voice  of  the  nation,  at  least  the 
liberal  part  of  it,  in  his  favour. 

Thereupon,  Isturitz  became  head  of  the 
cabinet,  Galiano  minister  of  marine,  and  a 
certain  Duke  of  Rivas  minister  of  the  interior. 
These  were  the  heads  of  the  moderado  gov- 
ernment, but  as  they  were  by  no  means  popu- 
lar at  Madrid,  and  feared  the  nationals,  they 
associated  with  themselves  one  who  hated  the 
latter  body  and  feared  nothing,  a  man  of  the 
name  of  Quesada,  a  very  stupid  individual, 
but  a  great  fighter,  who,  at  one  period  of  his 
life,  had  commanded  a  legion  or  body  of  men 
called  the  Army  of  the  Faith,  whose  exploits 
both  on  the  French  and  Spanisli  side  of  the 
Pyrenees  are  too  well  known  to  require  reca- 
pitulation. This  person  was  made  captain 
general  of  Madrid. 

By  far  the  most  clever  member  of  this  gov- 
ernment was  Galiano,  whose  acquaintance  I 
had  formed  shortly  after  my  arrival.  He  was 
a  man  of  considerable  literature,  and  particu- 
larly will  versed  in  that  of  his  own  country.  He 
was,  moreover,  a  fluent,  elegant,  and  forcible 
speaker,  and  was  to  the  moderado  party  within 
the  cortes  what  Quesada  was  without,  namely, 
their  horses  and  chariots.  Why  he  was  made 
minister  of  marine  is  difficult  to  say,  as  Spain 
did  not  possess  any;  perhaps,  however,  from 
his  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  which 
he  spoke  and  wrote  nearly  as  well  as  his  own 
tongue,  having  indeed  during  his  sojourn  in 
England  chiefly  supported  himself  by  writing 
for  reviews  and  journals,  an  honourable  occu- 
pation, but  to  which  few  foreign  exiles  in  Eng- 
land would  be  qualified  to  devote  themselves. 

He  was  a  very  small  and  irritable  man, 
and  a  bitter  enemy  to  every  person  who  stood 
in  the  way  of  his  advancement.  He  hated 
Mendizabal  with  undisguised  rancour,  and 
never  spoke  of  him  but  in  terms  of  unmea- 
sured contempt.  "I  am  afraid  that  I  shall 
have  some  difficulty  in  inducing  Mendizabal 
to  give  me  permission  to  print  the  Testament," 
said  I  to  him  one  day.  "  Mendizabal  is  a 
jackass,"  replied  Galiano.  "  Caligula  made 
bis  horse  consul,  which  I  suppose  induced 

Lord to  send  over  this  huge  burro  of  the 

Stock  Exchange  to  be  our  minister." 

It  would  be  very  ungrateful  on  my  part 
were  I  not  to  confess  my  great  obligations  to 
Galiano,  who  assisted  me  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power  in  the  business  which  brought  me  to 
Spain.  Shortly  after  the  ministry  was  formed, 
I  went  to  him  and  said,  "  that  now  or  never 
was  the  time  to  make  an  effort  in  my  behalf.  " 
"I  will  do  so,"  said  he  in  a  waspish  tone; 
for  he  always  spoke  waspishly  whether  to 
friend  or  foe ;  "  but  you  must  have  patience 
for  a  few  days,  we  are  very  much  occupied  at 
present.  We  have  been  outvoted  in  the 
cortes,  and  this  afternoon  we  intend  to  dissolve 
them.  It  is  believed  that  the  rascals  will  re- 
fuse to  depart,  but  Quesada  will  stand  at  the 


door  ready  to  turn  them  out,  should  they  prove 
refractory.  Come  along,  and  you  will  per- 
haps see  a  funcion." 

After  an  hour's  debate,  the  cortes  were  dis- 
solved without  it  being  necessary  to  call  in 
the  aid  of  the  redoubtable  Quesada,  and  Gali- 
ano forthwith  gave  me  a  letter  to  his  col- 
league, the  Duke  of  Rivas,  in  whose  depart- 
ment he  told  me  was  vested  the  power  either 
of  giving  or  refusing  the  permission  to  print 
the  book  in  question.  The  duke  was  a  very 
handsome  young  man,  of  about  thirty,  an  An- 
dalusian  by  birth,  like  his  two  colleagues. 
He  had  published  several  works,  tragedies,  I 
believe,  and  enjoyed  a  certain  kind  of  literary 
reputation.  He  received  me  with  the  great- 
est affability ;  and  having  heard  what  I  had 
to  say,  he  replied,  with  a  most  captivating 
bow,  and  a  genuine  Andalusian  grimace, 
"  Go  to  my  secretary  ;  go  to  my  secretary— 
el  hara  por  usltd  el  gusto.^*  So  I  went  to  the 
secretary,  whose  name  was  Oliban,  an  Ara- 
gonese,  who  was  not  handsome,  and  whose 
manners  were  neither  elegant  nor  affable. 
"You  want  permission  to  print  the  Testa- 
ment]" "I  do,"  said  I.  "And  you  have 
come  to  His  Excellency  about  it,"  continued 
Oliban.  "  Very  true,"  I  replied.  "I  suppose 
you  intend  to  print  it  without  notes."  "Yes." 
"Then  His  Excellency  cannot  give  you  per- 
mission," said  the  Aragonese  secretary :  "  it 
was  determined  by  the  Council  of  Trent  that 
no  part  of  the  scripture  should  be  printed  in 
any  Christian  country  without  the  notes  of  the 
church."  "  How  many  years  was  that  agol" 
I  demanded.  "I  do  not  know  how  many 
years  ago  it  was,"  said  Oliban;  "but  such 
was  the  decree  of  the  Council  of  Trent."  "Is 
Spain  at  present  governed  according  to  the 
decrees  of  the  Council  of  Trent]"  1  inquired. 
"  In  some  points  she  is,"  answered  the  Ara- 
gonese, and  this  is  one.  "  But  tell  me  who 
are  you?  Are  you  known  to  the  British 
minister]"  "0  yes,  and  he  takes  a  great 
interest  in  the  matter."  "  Does  he  ]"  said 
Oliban  ;  "that  indeed  alters  the  case,  if  you 
can  show  me  that  His  Excellency  takes  an 
interest  in  this  business,  I  certainly  shall  not 
oppose  myself  to  it." 

The  British  minister  performed  all  I  could 
wish,  and  much  more  than  I  could  expect;  he 
had  an  interview  with  the  Duke  of  Rivas, 
with  whom  he  had  much  discourse  upon  my 
affair:  the  duke  was  all  smiles  and  courtesy. 
He  moreover  wrote  a  private  letter  to  the  duke, 
which  he  advised  me  to  present  when  I  next 
paid  him  a  visit,  and,  to  crown  all,  he  wrote  a 
letter  directed  to  myself,  in  which  he  did  me 
the  honour  to  say  that  he  had  a  regard  for  me, 
and  that  nothing  would  afford  him  greater 
pleasure  than  to  hear  that  I  had  obtained  the 
permission  which  I  ^'as  seeking.  So  I  went 
to  the  duke  and  delivered  the  letter.  He 
was  ten  times  more  kind  and  affable  than 
before  :  he  read  the  letter,  smiled  most  sweet- 
ly, and  then,  as  if  seized  with  sudden  enthu- 
siasm, he  extended  his  arms  in  a  manner 
almost  theatrical,  exclaiming,  "  M  secretariOf 
el  hara  por  wted  el  gusto  "    Away  I  hurried 


64 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


to  the  secretary,  who  received  me  with  all  the 
coolness  of  an  icicle.  I  related  to  him  the 
words  of  his  principal,  and  then  put  into  his 
hand  the  letter  of  the  British  minister  to  my- 
self. The  secretary  read  it  very  deliberately, 
and  then  said  that  it  was  evident  his  excellen- 
cy did  take  an  interest  in  the  matter."  He 
then  asked  me  my  name,  and  taking;  a  sheet 
of  paper,  sat  down  as  if  for  the  purpose  of 
writing  the  permission.  I  was  in  ecstacy — 
all  of  a  sudden,  however,  he  stopped,  lifted 
up  his  head,  seemed  to  consider  a  moment, 
and  then  putting  his  pen  behind  his  ear,  he 
said,  "Amongst  the  decrees  of  the  Council 
of  Trent  is  one  to  the  effect" 


"  Oh  dear !"  said  I. 

"  A  singular  person  is  this  Oliban,"  said  I 
to  Galiano;  "you  cannot  imagine  what  trou- 
ble he  gives  me :  he  is  continually  talking 
about  the  Council  of  Trent." 

"  I  wish  he  was  in  the  Trent  up  to  the  mid- 
dle," said  Galiano,  who,  as  I  have  observed 
already, spoke  excellent  English;  "1  wish  he 
was  there  for  talking  such  nonsense.  How- 
ever," said  he,  "  we  must  not  offend  Oliban, 
he  is  one  of  us,  and  has  done  us  much  service ; 
he  is,  moreover,  a  very  clever  man,  but  he  is 
an  Aragonese,  and  when  one  of  that  nation 
once  gets  an  idea  into  his  head,  it  is  the  most 
difficult  thing  in  the  world  to  dislodge  it: 
however,  we  will  go  to  him ;  he  is  an  old 
friend  of  mine,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that 
we  shall  be  able  to  make  him  listen  to  reason." 
So  the  next  day  I  called  upon  Galiano,  at  his 
marine  oradmirality  office;  (what  shall  I  call 
it?)  and  from  thence  we  proceeded  to  the 
bureau  of  the  interior,  a  magnificent  edifice, 
which  had  formerly  been  the  casa  of  the 
Inquisition,  where  we  had  an  interview  with 
Oliban,  whom  Galiano  took  aside  to  the  win- 
dow, and  there  held  with  him  a  long  conver- 
sation, which,  as  they  spoke  in  whispers,  and 
the  room  was  immensely  large,  I  did  not 
hear.  At  length  Galiano  came  to  me  and 
said,  "There  is  some  difficulty  with  respect  to 
this  business  of  yours,  but  I  have  told  Oliban 
that  you  are  a  friend  of  mine,  and  he  says  that 
that  is  sufficient;  remain  with  him  now,  and 
he  will  do  any  thing  to  oblige  you;  your 
affair  is  settled — farewell ;"  whereupon  he 
departed  and  I  remained  with  Oliban,  who 
proceeded  forthwith  to  write  something,  which 
having  concluded,  he  took  out  a  box  of  cigars, 
and  having  lighted  one  and  offered  me  ano- 
ther, which  J  declined  as  I  do  not  smoke,  he 
placed  his  feet  against  the  table,  and  thus 
proceeded  to  address  me,  speaking  in  the 
French  language. 

"  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  see  you  in 
this  capital,  and,  I  may  say,  upon  this  busi- 
ness. I  consider  it  a  disgrace  to  Spain  that 
there  is  no  edition  of  the  Gospel  in  cir- 
culation, at  least  such  a  one  as  would  be 
within  the  reach  of  all  classes  of  society,  the 
highest  or  poorest;  one  unincumbered  with 
notes  and  commentaries,  human  devices, 
swelling  it  to  an  unwieldy  bulk.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  such  an  edition  as  you  propose  to 


print,  would  have  a  most  beneficial  influence 
on  the  minds  of  the  people,  who,  between 
ourselves,  know  nothing  of  pure  religion; 
how  should  they  1  seeing  that  the  Gospel  has 
always  been  sedulously  kept  from  them,  just 
as  if  civilization  could  exist  where  the  light 
of  the  Gospel  beameth  not.  The  moral  rege- 
neration of  Spain  depends  upon  the  free 
circulation  of  the  Scriptures;  to  which  alone 
England,  your  own  happy  countrj',  is  indebted 
for  its  high  stale  of  civilization,  and  the 
unmatched  prosperity  which  it  at  present 
enjoys;  all  this  I  admit,  in  fact,  reason  com 
pels  me  to  do  so.  but'' 

"Now  for  it,"  thought  I. 

"But" — and  then  he  began  to  talk  once 
more  of  the  wearisome  Council  of  Trent,  and 
1  found  that  his  writing  in  the  paper,  the  offer 
of  the  cigar,  and  the  long  and  prosy  harangue 
were — what  shall  I  call  itl — mere  ?Auaf;ia. 

By  this  time  the  spring  was  far  ad  vanced,  the 
sides  though  not  the  tops  of  the  Guadarama 
hills  had  long  since  lost  their  snows ;  the  trees 
of  the  Prado  had  donned  their  lull  foliage,  and 
all  the  Campina  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Mad- 
rid smiled  and  was  happy  :  the  summer  heats 
had  not  commenced,  and  the  weather  was 
truly  delicious. 

Towards  the  west,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on 
which  stands  Madrid,  is  a  canal  running  par- 
allel with  the  Manzanares  for  some  leagues, 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  pleasant  and 
fertile  meadows.  The  banks  of  this  canal, 
which  was  begun  by  Carlos  Tercero,  and  has 
never  been  completed,  are  planted  with  beau- 
tiful trees,  and  form  the  most  delightful  walk 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  capital.  Here  I 
would  loiter  for  hours,  looking  at  the  shoals 
of  gold  and  silver  fish  which  basked  on  the 
surface  of  the  green  sunny  waters,  or  listen- 
ing, not  to  the  warbling  of  birds — for  Spain  is 
not  the  land  of  feathered  choristers — but  to  the 
prattle  of  the  narangero  or  man  who  sold 
oranges  and  water  by  a  little  oeserted  watch 
tower,  just  opposite  the  wooden  bridge  that 
crosses  the  canal,  which  situation  he  had 
chosen  as  favourable  for  his  trade,  and  there 
had  placed  his  stall.  He  was  an  Asturian  by 
birth,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  and  about  five 
feet  high.  As  I  purchased  freely  of  his  fruit, 
he  soon  conceived  a  great  friendship  for  me, 
and  told  me  his  history :  it  contained,  how- 
ever, nothing  very  remarkable,  the  leading 
incident  being  an  adventure  which  had  be- 
fallen him  amidst  the  mountains  of  Granada, 
where  falling  into  the  hands  of  certain  Gip- 
sies, they  stripped  him  naked  and  then  dis- 
missed him  with  a  sound  cudgelling.  "  I 
have  wandered  throughout  Spain,"  said  he, 
"  and  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
are  but  two  places  worth  living  in,  Malaga 
and  Madrid.  At  Malaga  every  thing  is  very 
cheap,  and  there  is  such  an  abundance  offish, 
that  I  have  frequently  seen  them  piled  in  heaps 
on  the  sea-shore ;  and  as  for  Madrid,  money 
is  always  stirring  at  the  Corte,  and  I  never 
go  supperless  to  bed  ;  my  only  care  is  to  sell 
my  oranges,  and  my  only  hope  that  when  1 
die  I  sh^l  be  buried  yonder." 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


65 


■  And  he  pointed  across  the  Manzanares, ' 
where,  on  the  declivity  of  a  gentle  hill,  at! 
about  a  league's  distance,  shone  brightly  in 
the  sunshine  the  white  walls  of  the  Campo  \ 
Santo,  or  common  burying  ground  of  Madrid.  ' 
He  was  a  fellow  of  infinite  drollery,  and, 
though  he  could  scarcely  read  or  write,  by  no 
means  ignorant  of  the  ways  of  the  world  :  his 
knowledge  of  individuals  was  curious  and 
extensive;  few  people  passing  his  stall  with 
whose  names,  character,  and  history  he  was 
not  acquainted.  "  Those  two  gentry,"  said 
he,  pointing  to  a  magnificently  dressed  cava- 
litr  and  lady,  who  had  dismounted  from  a 
carriage,  and  arm  in  arm  were  coming  across 
the  wooden  bridge,  followed  by  two  attend- 
ants ;  "  those  gentry  are  the  Infante  Francisco 
Paulo,  and  his  wife  the  Neopolitana,  sister  of 
our  Christina  ;  he  is  a  very  good  subject,  but 
as  for  his  wife — vaya — the  veriest  scold  in 
Madrid  ;  she  can  say  carrajo  with  the  most  ill 
conditioned  carrier  of  la  Mancha,  giving  the 
true  emphasis  and  genuine  pronunciation. 
Don't  take  off  your  hat  to  her,  amigo — she 
has  neither  formality  nor  politeness.  I  once 
saluted  her,  and  she  took  no  more  notice  of  me 
than  if  T  had  not  been  what  I  am,  an  Asturian 
and  a  gentleman  of  better  blood  than  herself. 
Good  day,  Sefior  Don  Francisco. — Que  tal 
(^hoio  goes  it)  1  very  tine  weather  this — vaya 
su  rnerced  con  Dios.  Those  three  fellows  who 
just  stopped  to  drink  water,  are  great  thieves, 
true  sons  of  the  prison  ;  I  am  always  civil  to 
them,  for  it  would  not  do  to  be  on  ill  terms ; 
they  pay  me  or  not,  just  as  they  think  proper. 
I  have  been  in  some  trouble  on  their  ac- 
count: about  a  year  ago  they  robbed  a  man 
a  little  farther  on  beyond  the  second  bridge. 
By  the  way,  I  counsel  you,  brother,  not  to  go 
there,  as  I  believe  you  often  do — it  is  a  danger- 
ous place.  They  robbed  a  gentleman  and  ill 
treated  him,  but  his  brother,  who  was  an 
escribano,  was  soon  upon  their  trail,  and 
had  them  arrested ;  but  he  wanted  some  one 
to  identify  them,  and  it  chanced  that  they  had 
stopped  to  drink  water  at  my  stall,  just  as 
they  did  now.  This  the  escribano  heard  of, 
and  forthwith  had  me  away  to  the  prison  to 
confront  me  with  them.  I  knew  them  well 
enough,  but  I  had  learnt  in  my  travels  when 
to  close  mj'  eyes  and  when  to  open  them;  so 
I  told  the  escribano  that  I  could  not  say  that 
I  had  ever  seen  them  before.  He  was  in  a 
great  rage  and  threatened  to  imprison  me ;  I 
told  him  he  might  and  thati  cared  not.  Vaya,  I 
was  not  going  to  expose  myself  to  the  resent- 
ment of  those  three  and  to  that  of  their  friends; 
I  live  too  near  the  Hay  Market  for  that. — Good 
day,  my  young  masters — Murcian  oranges, 
as  you  see;  the  genuine  dragons'  blood. 
Water  sweet  and  cold.  Those  two  boys  are 
the  children  of  Gabiria,  comptroller  of  the 
quev?ri's  household,  and  the  richest  man  in 
Madrid;  they  are  nice  boys,  and  buy  much 
fruit.  It  is  said  their  father  loves  them  more 
than  all  his  possessions.  The  old  woman 
who  is  lying  beneath  yon  tree  is  the  Tia  Lu- 
cilla;  she  has  committed  murders,  and  she 
owes  rae  money,  I  hope  one  day  to  see  her 
9 


executed.  This  man  was  of  the  Walloon 
guard; — Serior  Don  Benito  Mol,  how  do  you 
do?" 

This  last  named  personage  instantly  en- 
grossed my  attention  :  he  was  a  bulky  old  man 
somewhat  above  the  middle  height,  with  white 
hair  and  ruddy  features ;  his  eyes  were  large 
and  blue,  and  whenever  he  fixed  them  on  any 
one's  countenance,  were  full  of  an  expression 
of  great  eagerness,  as  if  he  were  expecting  the 
communication  of  some  important  tidings. — 
He  was  dressed  commonly  enough,  in  a  jacket 
and  trowsers  of  coarse  cloth  of  a  russet  colour; 
on  his  head  was  an  immense  sombrero,  the 
brim  of  which  had  been  much  cut  and  muti- 
lated, so  as  in  some  places  to  resemble  the 
jags  or  denticles  of  a  saw.  He  returned  the 
salutation  of  the  orange-man,  and  bowing  to 
me,  forthwith  produced  two  scented  wash- 
balls  which  he  offered  for  sale  in  a  rough  dis- 
sonant jargon,  intended  for  Spanish,  but  which 
seemed  more  like  the  Valencian  or  Catalan. 

Upon  my  asking  him  who  he  was,  the  fol- 
lowing conversation  ensued  between  us : 

"I  am  a  Swiss  of  Lucerne,  Benedict  Mol 
by  name,  once  a  soldier  in  the  Walloon  Guard, 
and  now  a  soap-boiler, /jotra  servir  usied.  " 

"  You  speak  the  language  of  Spain  very  im- 
perfectly," said  I ;  "•  how  long  have  you  been 
in  the  country?  " 

"  Forty-five  years,"  replied  Benedict ;  "  hut 
when  the  guard  was  broken  up,  I  went  to  Mi- 
norca, where  I  lost  the  Spanish  language 
without  acquiring  the  Catalan." 

"  You  have  been  a  soldier  of  the  king  of 
Spain."  said  I;  "how  did  you  like  the  ser- 
viced' 

"  Not  so  well,  hut  that  I  should  have  been 
glad  to  leave  it  forty  years  ago;  the  pay  was 
bad,  and  the  treatment  worse.  I  will  now 
speak  Swiss  to  you,  for,  if  I  am  not  much 
mistaken,  you  are  a  German  man  and  under- 
stand the  speech  of  Lucerne :  I  should  soon 
have  deserted  from  the  service  of  Spain,  as  I 
did  from  that  of  the  Pope,  whose  soldier  I 
was  in  my  early  youth  before  I  came  here ; 
but  I  had  married  a  woman  of  Minorca,  by 
whom  I  had  two  children;  it  was  this  that 
detained  me  in  these  parts  so  long ;  before, 
however,  I  left  Minorca,  my  wife  died,  and 
as  for  my  children,  one  went  east,  the  other 
west,  and  I  know  not  what  became  of  them ;  I 
intend  shortly  to  return  to  Lucerne,  and  lire 
there  lik'e  a  duke." 

"  Have  you,  then,  realized  a  large  capital 
in  Spain  1 "  said  I,  glancing  at  his  hat  and  the 
rest  of  his  apparel. 

"  Not  a  cuart,  not  a  cuart ;  those  two  wash« 
balls  are  all  that  I  possess." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  the  son  of  good  parents, 
and  have  lands  and  money  in  your  own  coun- 
try wherewith  to  support  yourself." 

"  Not  a  heller,  not  a  heller;  my  father  was^ 
hangman  of  Lucerne,  and  when  he  died,  hia 
body  was  seized  to  pay  his  debts." 

"Then  doubtless,"  said  I,  "you  intend  to 
ply  your  trade  of  soap-hoiling  at  Lucerne : 
you  are  quite  right,  my  friend,  I  know  of  no 
occupation  more  honourable  or  useful." 
r  2 


66 


THE   BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


"  I  have  no  thoughts  of  plying-  my  trade  at  j 
Lucerne,"  replied   Bennet;  "and  now,  as  I' 
see  you  are  a  German  man,  Lieber  Herr,  and  i 
as  1  like  your  countenance  and  your  manner 
of  speaking,  I  will  tell  you  in  confidence  that  } 
I  know  very  little  of  my  trade,  and  have  al- 
ready been  turned  out  of  several  fabriques  as 
an  evil  workman ;  the  two  wash-balls  that  I 
carry  in  my  pocket  are  not  of  my  own  making. 
In  Kurlzen,  I  know  little  more  of  soap-boiling 
than  1  do  of  tailoring,  horse-farriery,  or  shoe- 
roakir.g,  all  of  which  I  have  practised." 

"Then  I  know  not  how  you  can  hope  to 
live  like  a  herlzog  in  your  native  canton,  un- 
less you  expect  that  the  men  of  Lucerne,  in 
consideration  of  your  services  to  the  Pope  and 
to  the  king  of  Spain,  will  maintain  you  in 
splendour  at  the  public  expense." 

"Lieber  Herr,"  said  Benedict,  "the  men 
of  Lucerne  are  by  no  means  fond  of  maintain- 
ing the  soldiers  of  the  Pope  and  the  king  of 
Spain  at  their  own  expense;  many  of  the 
guard  who  have  returned  thither  beg  their 
bread  in  the  streets,  but  when  1  go  it  shall  be 
in  a  coach  drawn  by  six  mules  with  a  treasure, 
a  mighty  schatz  which  lies  in  the  church  of 
Saint  James  of  Compostella,  in  Galicia." 

"I  hope  you  do  not  intend  to  rob  the 
church,"  said  I;  "if  you  do,  however,  I 
believe  you  will  be  disappointed.  Mendiza- 
bal  and  the  liberals  have  been  beforehand 
with  you.  I  arn  informed  that  at  present  no 
other  treasure  is  to  be  found  in  the  cathedrals 
of  Spain  than  a  few  paltry  ornaments  and 
plated  utensils." 

"  My  good  German  Herr,"  said  Benedict, 
'•  it  is  no  church  schatz,  and  no  person  living, 
save  myself,  knows  of  its  existence :  nearly 
thirty  years  ago,  amongst  the  sick  soldiers 


who  were  brought  to  Madrid,  was  one  of  my 
comrades  of  the  Walloon  Guard  who  had 
accompanied  the  French  to  Portugal;  he  was 
very  sick  and  shortly  died.  Before,  however, 
he  breathed  his  last,  he  sent  for  me,  and 
upon  his  death-bed  told  me  that  himself  and 
two  other  soldiers,  both  of  whom  had  since 
been  killed,  had  buried  in  a  certain  church  in 
Compostella  a  great  booty  which  they  had 
made  in  Portugal ;  it  consisted  of  gold  moi- 
dores  and  of  a  packet  of  huge  diamonds  from 
the  Brazils ;  the  whole  was  contained  in  a 
large  copper  kettle.  I  listened  with  greedy 
cars,  and  from  that  moment,  I  may  say,  I 
have  known  no  rest,  neither  by  day  nor  night, 
thinking  of  the  schatz.  It  is  very  easy  to 
find,  for  the  dying  man  was  so  exact  in  his 
description  of  the  place  where  it  lies,  that 
were  I  once  at  Compostella,  1  should  have  no 
difficulfy  in  putting  my  hand  upon  it;  several 
times  I  have  been  on  the  point  of  setting  out 
on  the  jonrney,  but  something  has  always 
happened  to  stop  me.  \\  hen  my  wife  died, 
I  left  Minorca  with  a  determination  to  go  to 
Saint  James,  but  on  reaching  Madrid,  I  fell 
into  the  hands  of  a  Basque  woman,  who  per- 
suaded me  to  live  with  her,  which  1  have  done 
for  several  years ;  she  is  a  great  hax,  *  and 
says  that  if  I  desert  her  she  will  breathe  a 
spell  which  shall  cling  to  me  forever.  Dem 
Goif  sey  dank, — she  is  now  in  the  hospital, 
and  daily  expected  to  die.  This  is  my  histo- 
j  ry,  Lieber  Herr." 

]  I  have  been  the  more  careful  in  relating  the 
above  conversation,  as  I  shall  have  frequent 
occasion  to  mention  the  Swiss  in  the  course  of 
these  journals;  his  subsequent  adventures 
are  highly  extraordinary,  and  the  closing  one 
caused  a  great  sensation  in  Spain. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

State  of  Spain — Istnritz — Revolution  of  the  Granja — The  Disturbance— Signs  of  Mischief— News- 
paper  Reporters — Quesada's  Onslaught — The  Closing  Scene — Flight  of  the  Moderados — The 
Coffee  Bowl. 


In  the  mean  time  the  affairs  of  the  modera- 
dos did  not  proceed  in  a  very  satisfactory 
manner  ;  they  were  unpopular  at  Madrid,  and 
still  more  so  in  the  other  large  towns  of  Spain, 
in  most  of  which  juntas  had  been  formed, 
which,  taking  the  'local  administration  into 
their  own  hands,  declared  themselves  inde- 
pendent of  the  queen  and  her  ministers,  and 
refused  to  pay  taxes ;  so  that  the  government 
was  within  a  short  time  reduced  to  great 
straits  for  money ;  the  army  was  unpaid,  and 
the  war  languished  ;  I  mean  on  the  part  of 
the  Christinos,  for  the  Carlists  were  pushing 
it  on  with  considerable  vigour ;  parties  of  their 
guerillas  scouring  the  country  in  all  directions, 
whilst  a  large  division,  under  the  celebrated 
Gomez,  was  making  the  entire  circuit  of  Spain. 
To  crown  the  whole,  an  insurrection  was  dai- 


ly expected  at  Madrid,  to  prevent  which  the 
nationals  were  disarmed,  which  measure 
tended  greatly  to  increase  their  hatred  against 
the  moderado  government,  and  especially 
against  Quesada,  with  whom  it  was  supposed 
to  have  originated. 

With  respect  to  my  own  matters,  I  lost  no 
opportunity  of  pushing  forward  my  applica- 
tion ;  the  Aragonese  secretary,  however,  still 
harped  upon  the  Council  of  Trent,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  baffling  all  my  efforts.  He  appear- 
ed to  have  inoculated  his  principal  with  his 
own  ideas  upon  this  subject,  for  the  duke, 
when  he  beheld  me  at  his  levees,  took  no 
farther  notice  of  me  than  by  a  contemptuous 
glance;  and  once,  when  I  stepped  up  for  the  pur- 

•  Witch.     Ger.  Hexe. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


er 


pose  of  addressinsr  him,  disappeared  through 
a  side  door,  and  I  never  saw  him  again,  for 
J  was  disgusted  with  the  treatment  which  I 
had  received,  and  forbore  paying  any  more 
visits  at  the  Casa  de  la  Inquisicion.  Poor 
Galiano  still  proved  himself  my  unshaken 
friend,  but  candidly  informed  me  that  there 
was  no  hope  of  my  succeeding  in  the  above 
quarter,  "The  duke,"  said  he,  "  says  that 
your  request  cannot  bo  granted ;  and  the 
other  day,  when  I  myself  mentioned  it  in  the 
council,  began  to  talk  of  the  decision  of  Trent, 
and  spoke  of  yourself  as  a  plaguy  pestilent 
fellow;  whereupon  I  answered  him  with 
some  acrimony,  and  there  ensued  a  bit  of  a 
funcion  between  us,  at  which  Isturitz  laughed 
heartily.  By  the  by,"  continued  he,  "  what 
need  have  you  of  a  regular  permission,  which 
it  does  not  appear  that  any  one  has  authority 
to  grant.  The  best  thing  that  you  can  do 
under  all  circumstances  is  to  commit  the  work 
to  the  press,  with  an  understanding  that  you 
shall  not  be  interfered  with  when  you  attempt 
to  distribute  it.  I  strongly  advise  you  to  see 
Isturitz  himself  upon  the  matter.  I  will  pre- 
pare him  for  the  interview,  and  will  answer 
that  he  receives  you  civilly." 

In  fact,  a  few  days  afterwards,  I  had  an  in- 
terview with  Isturitz  at  the  palace,  and  for  the 
sake  of  brevity  I  shall  content  myself  with 
saying  that  I  found  him  perfectly  well  disposed 
to  favour  my  views.  "  I  have  lived  long  in 
England,"  said  he  ;  "  the  Bible  is  free  there, 
and  I  see  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  free 
in  Spain  also.  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that 
England  is  indebted  for  her  prosperity  to  the 
knowledge  which  all  her  children,  more  or 
less,  possess  of  the  sacred  writings ;  but  of 
one  thing  I  am  sure,  namely,  that  the  Bible 
has  done  no  harm  in  that  country,  nor  do  I 
believe  that  it  will  effect  any  in  Spain;  print 
it,  therefore,  by  all  means,  and  circulate  it  as 
extensively  as  possible."  I  retired,  highly 
satisfied  with  my  interview,  having  obtained, 
if  not  a  written  permission  to  print  the  sacred 
volume,  what,  under  all  circumstances,  I  con- 
sidered as  almost  equivalent,  an  understand- 
ing that  my  biblical  pursuits  would  he  tolerated 
in  Spain ;  and  I  had  fervent  hope  that  what- 
ever was  the  fate  of  the  present  ministry,  no 
future  one,  particularly  a  liberal  one,  would 
venture  to  interfere  with  me,  more  especially 
as  the  English  ambassador  was  my  friend, 
and  was  privy  to  all  the  steps  I  had  taken 
throughout  the  whole  affair. 

Two  or  three  things  connected  with  the 
above  interview  with  Isturitz  struck  me  as 
being  highly  remarkable.  First  of  all,  the 
extreme  facility  with  which  I  obtained  ad- 
mission to  the  presence  of  the  prime  minister 
of  Spain.  I  had  not  to  wait,  or  indeed  to 
send  in  my  name,  but  was  introduced  at  once 
by  the  door-keeper.  Secondly,  the  air  of 
loneliness  which  pervaded  the  place,  so  unlike 
the  bustle,  noise,  and  activity  which  I  observed 
when  I  waited  on  Mendizabal.  In  this  in- 
stance, there  were  no  eager  candfdates  for  an 
interview  with  the  great  man;  indeed,  I  did 
not  behold  a  single  individual,  with  the  excep- 


tion of  Isturitz  and  the  official.    But  that 
which   made  the  most  profound  impression 
upon  me,  was  the  manner  of  the  minister 
himself,  who,  when  I  entered,  sat  upon  a  sofa, 
with  his  arms  folded,  and  his  eyes  directed  to 
the  ground.     When  he  spoke,  there  was  ex- 
treme depression  in  the  tones  of  his  voice,  his 
dark  features  wore  an  air  of  melancholy,  and 
he  exhibited  all  the  appearance  of  a  person 
meditating  to  escape  from  the  miseries  of  this 
life  by  the  most  desperate  of  all  acts — suicide. 
And  a  few  days  showed  that  he  had,  indeed, 
cause  for  much  melancholy  meditation:  in  less 
than  a  week  occurred  the  revolution  of  the 
Granja,  as    it    is  called.      The  Granja    or 
Grange,  is    a    royal  country  seat,  situated 
amongst  pine  forests,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Guadarama  hills,  about  twelve  leagues  dis- 
tant from  Madrid.     To  this  place  the  queen 
regent  Christina  had  retired,  in  order  to  be 
aloof  from  the  discontent  of  the  capital,  and  to 
enjoy  rural  air  and  amusements  in  this  cele- 
brated retreat,  a  monument  of  the  taste  and 
magnificence  of  the  first  Bourdon  who  ascend- 
ed the  throne  of  Spain.  She  was  not,  however, 
permitted  to  remain  long  in  tranquillity ;  her 
own  guards  were  disaffected,  and  more  in- 
clined to  the  principles  of  the  constitution  of 
1823   than  to  those  of  absolute  monarchy, 
which    the    moderados  were  attempting  to 
revive  again   in   the  government  of  Spain. 
Early  one  morning,  a  party  of  these  soldiers, 
headed  by  a  certain  sergeant  Garcia,  entered 
her  apartment,  and  proposed  that  she  should 
subscribe  her  hand  to  this  constitution,  and 
swear  solemnly  to  abide  by  it.     Christina, 
however,  who  was  a  woman  of  considerable 
spirit,  refused  to  comply  with  this  proposal, 
and  ordered  them  to  withdraw.     A  scene  of 
violence  and  tumult  ensued,  but  the  regent 
still  continuing  firm,  the  soldiers  at  length  led 
her  down  to  one  of  the  courts  of  the  palace, 
where  stood  her  well  known  paramour,  Munos, 
bound  and  blindfolded.     "  Swear  to  the  con- 
stitution,  you    she-rogue,"    vociferated    the 
swarthy  sergeant.  "  Never !"  said  the  spirited 
daughter  of  the  Neapolitan  Bourbons.   "Then 
your  cortejo  shall  die  !"  replied  the  sergeant. 
"Ho!  ho!  my  lads;  get  ready  your  arms, 
and  send  four  bullets  through  the  fellow's 
brain."  Munos  was  forthwith  led  to  the  wall, 
and  compelled  to  kneel  down;  the  soldiers 
levelled  their  muskets,  and*  another  moment 
would  have  consigned  the  unfortunate  wight 
to  eternity,  when  Christina,  forgetting  every 
thing  but  the  feelings  of  her  woman's  heart, 
suddenly  started  forward  with  a  shriek,  ex- 
claiming :  "  Hold,  hold  !     I  sign,  I  sign  I" 

The  day  after  this  event  I  entered  thePuerta 
del  Sol  at  about  noon.  There  is  always  a 
crowd  there  about  this  hour,  but  it  is  generally 
a  very  quiet,  motionless  crowd,  consisting  of 
listless  idlers  calmly  smoking  their  cigars,  or 
listening  to  or  retailing  the — in  general — very 
dull  news  of  the  capital;  but  on  the  day  of 
which  I  am  speaking  the  mass  was  no  longer 
inert.  There  was  much  gesticulation  and 
vociferation,  and  several  people  were  running' 
about  shouting,  "  Fi'ca  la  constitticion !" — a 


68 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN 


cry  ■vrliich,  a  few  days  previously,  would  have 
been  visited  on  the  utt«rer  with  death,  the 
city  havino;  for  some  weeks  past  been  subject- 
ed to  the  rigour  of  martial  law.  I  occasionally 
heard  the  words,  "La  Granja!  La  Granja!''^ 
Which  words  were  sure  to  be  succeeded  by 
the  shoutof  "J7t'a  la  consiitucion !"  Opposite 
the  Casa  de  Postas  were  drawn  up  in  a  line 
about  a  dozen  mounted  dragoons,  some  of 
■whom  were  continually  waving  their  caps  in 
the  air  and  joining  the  common  cry,  in  which 
they  were  encouraged  by  their  commander,  a 
handsome  young  officer,  who  flourished  his 
sword,  and  more  than  once  cried  out  with 
great  glee,  "Long  live  the  constitutional 
queen !  Long  live  the  constitution  !" 

The  crowd  was  rapidly  increasing,  and  se- 
veral nationals  made  their  appearance  in  their 
uniforms,  but  without  their  arms,  of  which 
they  had  been  deprived,  as  I  have  already 
stated.  "  What  has  become  of  the  moderado 
£rovernment?"  said  I  to  Baltasar,  whom  I  sud- 
denly observed  amongst  the  crowd,  dressed 
as  when  I  had  first  seen  him,  in  his  old  regi- 
mental great  coat  and  foraging  cap ;  "  have 
the  ministers  been  deposed  and  others  put  in 
their  place?" 

"  Not  yet,  Don  Jorge,"  said  the  little  sol- 
dier-tailor; "not  yet;  the  scoundrels  still  hold 
out,  relying  on  the  brute  bull  Quesada  and  a 
few  infantry,  who  still  continue  true  to  them  ; 
but  there  is  no  fear,  Don  Jorge;  the  queen  is 
ours,  thanks  to  the  courage  of  my  friend  Gar- 
cia, and  if  the  brute  bull  should  make  his  ap- 
pearance— ho!  ho!  Don  Jorge,  you  shall  see 
something — I  am  prepared  for  him,  ho !  ho !" 
and  thereupon  he  half  opened  his  greatcoat, 
and  showed  me  a  small  gun  which  he  bore 
beneath  it  in  a  sling,  and  then  moving  away 
with  a  wink  and  a  nod,  disappeared  amongst 
the  crowd. 

Presently  I  perceived  a  small  body  of  sol- 
diers advancing  up  the  Calle  Mayor,  or  prin- 
cipal street  which  runs  from  the  Puerta  del 
Sol  in  the  direction  of  the  palace;  they  might 
be  about  twenty  in  number,  and  an  officer 
inarched  at  their  head  with  a  drawn  sword ; 
the  men  appeared  to  have  been  collected  in  a 
hurry,  many  of  them  being  in  fatigue  dress, 
•with  foraging  caps  on  their  heads.  On  they 
came,  slowly  marching;  neither  their  officer 
nor  themselves  paying  the  slightest  attention 
to  the  cries  of  the  crowd  which  thronged  about 
them,  shouting  "  Long  live  the  constitution  !" 
save  and  except  by  an  occasional  surly  side 
glance:  on  they  marched  with  contracted 
brows  and  set  teeth,  till  they  came  in  front 
of  the  cavalry,  where  they  halted  and  drew 
up  in  a  rank. 

"Those  men  mean  mischief,"  said  I  to  my 

friend  D ,  of  the  Morning  Chronicle,  who 

at  this  moment  joined  me ;  "  and  depend  upon 
it,  that  if  they  are  ordered  they  will  commence 
firing,  caring  nothing  whom  they  hit, — but 
■what  can  those  cavalry  fellows  behind  them 
mean,  who  are  evidently  of  the  other  opinion 
by  their  shouting;  why  don't  they  charge  at 
once  this  handful  of  foot  people  and  overturn 
them'?     Once  down,  the  crowd  would  wrest 


from  them  their  muskets  in  a  moment.  Yoti 
are  a  liberal,  which  I  am  not;  why  do  you 
not  go  to  that  silly  young  man  who  commands 
the  horse,  and  give  him  a  word  of  counsel  in 
timeV 

D tnmed   upon    me    his    broad    red 

good-humoured  English  countenance,  with 
a  peculiarly  arch  look,  as  much  as  to  say 

(whatever  you  think  most 

applicable,  gentle  reader,)  then  taking  me  by 
the  arm,  "Let  us  get,"  said  he,  "out  of  this 
crowd  and  mount  to  some  window,  where  I 
can  write  down  what  is  about  to  take  place, 
for  I  agree  with  you  that  mischief  is  meant." 
Just  opposite  the  post  office  was  a  large  house, 
in  the  topmost  story  of  which  we  bel.eld  a 
paper  displayed,  importing  that  apartments 
were  to  let;  whereupon  we  instantly  ascend- 
ed the  common  stair,  and  having  agreed  with 
the  mistress  of  the  etage  for  the  use  of  the 
front  room  for  the  day,  we  bolted  the  door, 
and  the  reporter,  producing  his  pocket  book 
and  pencil,  prepared  to  take  notes  of  the 
coming  events,  which  were  already  casting 
their  shadow  before. 

What  most  extraordinary  men  are  these 
reporters  of  newspapers  in  general,  I  mean 
English  newspapers;  surely  if  there  be  any 
class  of  individuals  who  are  entitled  to  the 
appellation  of  cosmopolites,  it  is  these;  who 
pursue  their  avocation  in  all  countries  indif- 
ferently, and  accommodate  themselves  at  will 
to  the  manners  of  all  classes  of  society  :  their 
fluency  of  style  as  writers  is  only  surpassed 
by  their  facility  of  language  in  conversation, 
and  their  attainments  in  classical  and  polite 
literature  only  by  their  profound  knowledge 
of  the  world,  acquired  by  an  early  introduc- 
tion into  its  bustling  scnes.  The  activity, 
energy,  and  courage  which  they  occasionally 
display  in  the  pursuit  of  infonnation,  are  truly 
remarkable.  I  saw  them,  during  the  three 
days  at  Paris,  mingled  with  canaille  and  ga- 
mins behind  the  barriers,  whilst  the  mitraille 
was  flying  in  all  directions,  and  the  desperate 
cuirassiers  were  dashing  their  fierce  horses 
against  these  seemingly  feeble  bulwarks. 
There  stood  they,  dotting  down  their  obser- 
vations in  their  pocket  books  as  unconcerned- 
ly as  if  reporting  the  proceedings  of  a  reform 
meeting  in  Covent  Garden  or  Finsburj' Square; 
whilst  in  Spain,  several  of  them  accompanied 
the  Carlist  and  Christino  guerillas  in  seme  of 
their  most  desperate  raids  and  expeditions, 
exposing  themselves  to  the  danger  of  hostile 
bullets,  the  inclemency  of  winter,  and  the 
fierce  heat  of  the  summer  sun. 

We  had  scarcely  been  five  minutes  at  the 
window,  when  we  suddenly  heard  the  clatter- 
ing of  horses'  feet  hastening  down  the  street 
called  the  Calle  de  Carretas.  The  house  in 
which  we  had  stationed  ourselves  was,  as  I 
have  already  observed,  just  opposite  to  the 
post  office,  at  the  left  of  which  this  street  de- 
bouches from  the  north  into  the  Puerta  del 
Sol:  as  the  sounds  became  louder  and  louder, 
the  cries  of  the  crowd  below  diminished,  and 
a  species  of  panic  seemed  to  have  fallen  upon 
all:  once  or  twice,  however,  I  could  distin- 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


«9 


guish  the  words,  Quesada!  Qiiesada!  The 
foot  soldiers  stood  calm  and  motionless,  but 
I  observed  that  the  cavalry,  with  the  young 
officer  who  commanded  them,  displayed  both 
confusion  and  fear,  exchanging  with  each 
other  some  hurried  words;  all  of  a  sudden 
that  part  of  the  crowd  which  stood  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Calle  de  Carretas  fell  back  in 
great  disorder,  leaving  a  considerable  space 
unoccupied,  and  the  next  moment  Quesada, 
in  complete  general's  uniform,  and  mounted 
on  a  brigiit  bay  thorough  bred  English  horse, 
with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  dashed  at 
full  gallop  into  the  area,  in  much  the  same 
manner  as  I  have  seen  a  Manchegan  bull  rush 
into  the  amphitheatre  when  the  gates  of  his 
pen  are  suddenly  flung  open. 

He  was  closely  followed  by  two  mounted 
officers,  and  at  a  short  distance  by  as  many 
dragoons.  In  almost  less  time  than  is  suffi- 
cient to  relate  it,  several  individuals  in  the 
crowd  were  knocked  down  and  lay  sprawling 
upon  the  ground  beneath  the  horses  of  Quesa- 
da and  his  two  friends,  for  as  to  the  dragoons, 
they  halted  as  soon  as  they  had  entered  the 
Puerta  del  Sol.  It  was  a  fine  sight  to  see 
three  men,  by  dint  of  valour  and  good  horse- 
manship, strike  terror  into  at  least  as  many 
thousands:  I  saw  Quesada  spur  his  horse  re- 
peatedly into  the  dense  masses  of  the  crowd, 
and  then  extricate  himself  in  the  most  mas- 
terly manner.  The  rabble  were  completely 
awed  and  gave  way,  retiring  by  the  Calle  del 
Comercio  and  the  street  of  Alcala.  All  at 
once,  Quesada  singled  out  two  nationals,  who 
were  attempting  to  escape,  and  setting  spurs 
to  his  horse,  turned  them  in  a  moment  and 
drove  them  in  another  direction,  striking  them 
in  a  contemptuous  manner  with  the  flat  of  his 
sabre.  He  was  crying  out,  "  Long  live  the 
absolute  queen!"  when,  just  beneath  me, 
amidst  a  portion  of  the  crowd  which  had  still 
maintained  its  ground,  perhaps  from  not  hav- 
ing the  means  of  escaping,  I  saw  a  small  gun 
glitter  for  a  moment,  then  there  was  a  sharp 
report,  and  a  bullet  had  nearly  sent  Quesada 
to  his  long  account,  passing  so  near  to  the 
countenance  of  the  general  as  to  graze  his 
hat.  I  had  an  indistinct  view  for  a  moment 
of  a  well  known  foraging  cap  just  about 
the  spot  from  whence  the  gun  had  been  dis- 
charged, then  there  was  a  rush  of  the  crowd, 
and  the  shooter,  whoever  he  was,  escaped 
discovery  amidst  the  confusion  which  arose. 

As  for  Quesada,  he  seemed  to  treat  the 
•danger  from  which  he  had  escaped  with 
the  utmost  contempt.  He  glared  about  him 
fiercely  for  a  moment,  then  leaving  the  two 
nationals,  who  sneaked  away  like  whipped 
hounds,  he  went  up  to  the  young  officer  who 
commanded  the  cavalry,  and  who  had  been 
active  in  raising  the  cry  of  the  constitution, 
and  to  him  he  addressed  a  few  words  with 
an  air  of  stern  menace ;  the  youth  evidently 
quailed  before  him,  and  probably  in  obedience 
to  his  orders,  resigned  the  command  of  the 
party,  and  rode  slowly  away  with  a  discom- 
fited air ;  whereupon  Quesada  dismounted  and 
walked  slowly  backwards  and  forwards  be- 


fore the  Casa  de  Postas  with  a  mien  which 
seemed  to  bid  defiance  to  mankind. 

This  was  the  glorious  day  of  Quesada's  ex- 
istence, his  glorious  and  last  day,  I  call  it  the 
day  of  his  glory,  for  he  certainly  never  before 
appeared  under  such  brilliant  circumstances, 
and  he  never  lived  to  see  another  sun  set.— . 
No  action  of  any  conqueror  or  hero  on  record, 
is  to  be  compared  with  this  closing  scene  of 
the  life  of  Quesada,  for  who,  by  his  single 
desperate  courage  and  impetuosity,  ever  be- 
fore stopped  a  revolution  in  full  course  I— 
Quesada  did:  he  stopped  the  revolution  at 
Madrid  for  one  entire  day,  and  bro\ight  back 
the  uproarious  and  hostile  mob  of  a  huge  city 
to  perfect  order  and  quiet.  His  burst  into  the 
Puerta  del  Sol  was  the  most  tremendous  and 
successful  piece  of  daring  ever  witnessed.  I 
admired  so  much  the  spirit  of  the  "brute  bull" 
that  I  frequently,  during  his  wild  onset,  shout- 
ed "Viva  Quesada  I"  for  I  wished  him  well. 
Not  that  I  am  of  any  political  party  or  system. 
No,  no !  I  have  lived  too  long  with  Rommany 
Chals  and  Petulengres*  to  be  of  any  politics 
save  Gipsy  politics:  and  it  is  well  known 
that,  during  elections,  the  children  of  Roma 
side  with  both  parties  so  long  as  the  event  is 
doubtful,  promising  success  to  each ;  and  then 
when  the  fight  is  done,  and  the  battle  won, 
invariably  range  themselves  in  the  ranks  of 
the  victorious.  But  I  repeat  that  1  wished 
well  to  Quesada,  witnessing,  as  I  did,  his 
stout  heart  and  good  horsemanship.  Tran- 
quillity was  restored  to  Madrid  throughout 
the  remainder  of  the  day;  the  handful  of  in- 
fantry bivouacked  in  the  Puerta  del  Sol.  No 
more  cries  of  long  live  the  constitution  were 
heard;  and  the  revolution  in  the  capital 
seemed  to  have  been  effectually  put  down.— 
It  is  probable,  indeed,  that  had  the  chiefs  of 
the  moderado  party  but  continued  true  to 
themselves  for  forty-eight  hours  longer,  their 
cause  would  have  triumphed,  and  the  revolu- 
tionary soldiers  at  the  Granja  would  have 
been  glad  to  restore  the  Queen  Regent  to  lib- 
erty, and  to  have  come  to  terms,  as  it  was 
well  known  that  several  regiments,  who  still 
continued  loyal,  were  marching  upon  Madrid. 
The  moderados,  however,  were  not  true  to 
themselves;  that  very  night  their  hearts  failed 
them,  and  they  fled  in  various  directions. — 
Isturilz  and  Galiano  to  France ;  and  the  Duke 
of  Rivas  to  Gibraltar:  the  panic  of  his  col- 
leagues even  infected  Quesada,  who, disguised 
as  a  civilian,  took  to  flight.  He  was  not, 
however,  so  successful  as  the  rest,  but  was  re- 
cognised at  a  village  about  three  leagues  from 
%Iadrid,  and  cast  into  the  prison  by  some 
friends  of  the  constitution.  Intelligence  of 
his  capture  was  instantly  transmitted  to  the 
capital,  and  avast  mob  of  the  nationals,  some 
on  foot,  some  on  horseback,  and  others  in 
cabriolets,  instantly  set  out.  "  The  nationals 
are  coming, "  said  a  paisano  to  Quesada.— 

*  A  compound  of  the  modern  Greek  mtctxi,)), 
and  the  Sanscrit  kara,  the  literal  moaning  being 
I^rd  of  the  horse-shoe  (i.  e.  maker) ;  it  is  one  of 
the  private  cognominations  of  "  The  Smiths,"  an 
English  Gipsy  clan. 


tflO 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


"Then,"  said  he,  "I  am  lost ; "  and  forthwith 
prepared  himself  for  death. 

There  is  a  celebrated  coffee-house  in  the 
Calle  d'Alcala  at  Madrid,  capable  of  holding 
several  hundred  individuals.  On  the  evening 
of  the  day  in  question,  I  was  seated  there, 
sipping  a  cup  of  the  brown  beverage,  when  I 
heard  a  prodigious  noise  and  clamour  in  the 
street;  it  proceeded  from  the  nationals,  who 
were  returning  from  their  expedition.  In  a 
few  minutes  I  saw  a  body  of  them  enter  the 
coffee-house  marching  arm  in  arm,  two  by 
two,  stamping  on  the  ground  with  their  feet 
in  a  kind  of  measure,  and  repeating  in  loud 
chorus  as  they  walked  round  the  spacious 
apartment,  the  following  grisly  stanza ; — 

"  Que  es  lo  que  abaja 
Por  aquel  cerro  ? 
Ta  ra  ra  ra  ra. 
Son  ios  huesosde  Quesada, 
Que  Ios  trae  un  perro — 
Ta  ra  ra  ra  ra." 

A  hnge  bowl  of  coffee  was  then  called  for, 
which  was  placed  upon  a  table,  around  which 
gathered  the  national  soldiers;  there  was  a 
silence  for  a  moment,  which  was  interrupted 
by  a  voice  roaring  out,  ^^  el  panuelo .' "  A 
blue  kerchief  was  forthwith  produced,  which 


appeared  to  contain  a  substance  of  some  kind : 
it  was  untied,  and  a  gory  hand  and  three  or 
four  dissevered  fingers  made  their  appearance, 
and  with  these  the  contents  of  the  bowl  were 
stirred  up.  "Cups!  cups!"  cried  the  na- 
tionals  

"Ho.  ho,  Don  Jorge,"  cried  Baltasarito, 
coming  up  to  me  with  a  cup  of  coffee,  "  pray 
do  me  the  favour  to  drink  upon  this  glorious 
occasion.  This  is  a  pleasant  day  for  Spain, 
and  for  the  gallant  nationals  of  Madrid.  I 
have  seen  many  a  bull  funcion,  but  none 
which  has  given  me  so  much  pleasure  as  this. 
Yesterday  the  brute  had  it  all  his  own  way, 
but  to-day  the  toreros  have  prevailed,  as  you 
see,  Don  Jorge.  Pray  drink  ;  for  I  must  now 
run  home  to  fetch  my  pajandi  to  play  my 
brethren  a  tune,  and  sing  a  copla.  What 
shall  it  bel     Something  in  Gitano? 

'  Una  noche  sinava  en  tucue.' 

You  shake  your  head,  Don  Jorgfe.  Ha,  ha; 
I  am  young,  and  youth  is  the  time  for  plea- 
sure: well,  well,  out  of  compUment  to  you, 
who  are  an  Englishman  and  a  monro,  it  shall 
not  be  that,  but  something  liberal,  something 
patriotic,  the  Hymn  of  Riego. — Hasta  des- 
pues,  Don  Jorge !  " 


CHAPTER  XV. 


The  Steamer — Cape  Finisferrc — The  Storm — Arrival  at  Cadiz — The  New  Testament — Seville — 
Itaiica — The  Amphitheatre — The  Prisoners — The  Encounter — Baron  Taylor — The  Street  and 
Desert. 


At  the  commencement  of  November,  I 
again  found  myself  on  the  salt  water,  on  my 
way  to  Spain.  I  had  returned  to  England 
shortly  after  the  events  which  have  been  nar- 
rated in  the  last  chapter,  for  the  purpose  of 
consulting  with  my  friends,  and  for  planning 
the  opening  of  a  biblical  campaign  in  Spain. 
It  was  now  determined  by  us  to  print  the 
New  Testament,  with  as  little  delay  as  possi- 
ble, at  Madrid ;  and  I  was  to  be  entrusted 
with  the  somewhat  arduous  task  of  its  distri- 
bution. My  stay  in  England  was  very  short, 
for  time  was  precious,  and  I  was  eager  to  re- 
turn to  the  field  of  action. 

I  embarked  in  the  Thames,  on  board  the 

M steamer.     We  had  a  most  unpleasant 

passage  to  Falmouth ;  the  ship  was  crowded 
with  passengers,  most  of  them  were  poor  con- 
sumptive individuals,  and  other  invalids,  flee- 
ing from  the  cold  blasts  of  England's  winter 
to  the  sunny  shores  of  Portugal  and  Madeira. 
In  a  more  uncomfortable  vessel,  especially 
steam  ship,  it  has  never  been  my  fate  to  make 
a  voyage.  The  berths  were  small  and  in- 
supportably  close,  and  of  these  wretched  holes 
mine  was  amongst  the  worst,  the  rest  having 
been  bespoken  before  I  arrived  on  board  ;  so 
that  to  avoid  the  suffocation  which  seemed  to 
threaten  me  should  I  enter  it,  I  lay  upon  the 


floor  of  one  of  the  cabins  throughout  the 
voyage.  We  remaimed  at  Falmouth  twenty- 
four  hours,  taking  in  coal,  and  repairing  the 
engine,  which  had  sustained  considerable 
damage. 

On  Monday,  the  7th,  we  again  started,  and 
made  for  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  The  sra  was 
high,  and  the  wind  strong  and  contrary; 
nevertheless,  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth 
day,  we  were  in  sight  of  the  rocky  coast,  to 
the  north  of  Cape  Finisterre.  I  must  here 
observe,  that  this  was  the  first  voyage  that 
the  captain  who  commanded  the  vessel  had 
ever  made  on  board  of  her,  and  tbat  he  knew 
little  or  nothing  of  the  coast  towards  which 
we  were  bearing.  He  was  a  person  picked 
up  in  a  hurry,  the  former  captain  having  re- 
signed his  command  on  the  ground  that  the 
ship  was  not  seaworthy,  and  that  the  engines 
were  frequently  unserviceable.  I  was  not  ac« 
quainted  with  these  circumstances  at  the  time, 
or  perhaps  I  should  have  felt  more  alarmed 
than  I  did,  when  I  saw  the  vessel  approach- 
ing nearer  and  nearer  the  shore,  till  at  last 
we  were  only  a  few  hundred  yards  distant. 
As  it  was,  however,  I  felt  very  much  sur- 
prised ;  for  having  passed  it  twiee  before, 
both  times  in  steam  vessels,  and  having  seen 
with  what  care  the  captains  endeavoured  to 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


71 


maintain  a  wide  offing,  I  could  not  conceive  ' 
the  reason  of  our  being  now  so  near  this  dan- 
gerous region.  The  wind  was  blowinir  hard 
towards  the  shore,  if  that  can  be  called  a 
shore  which  consists  of  steep  abrupt  preci- 
pices, on  which  the  surf  was  breaking  with 
the  noise  of  thunder,  tossing  up  clouds  of 
spray  and  foam  to  the  height  of  a  cathedral. 
We  coasted  slowly  along,  rounding  several 
tall  forelands,  some  of  them  piled  up  by  the 
hand  of  nature  in  the  most  fantastic  shapes. 
About  nightfall  Cape  Finisterre  was  not  far 
ahead, — a  bluff,  brown,  granite  mountain, 
whose  frowning  head  may  be  seen  far  away 
by  those  who  traverse  the  ocean.  The  stream 
which  poured  round  its  breast  was  terrific, 
and  though  our  engines  plied  with  all  their 
force,  they  made  little  or  no  way. 

By  about  eight  o'clock  at  night  the  wind 
had  increased  to  a  hurricane,  the  thunder 
rolled  frightfully,  and  the  only  light  which 
we  had  to  guide  us  on  our  way  was  the  red 
forked  lightning,  which  burst  at  times  from 
the  bosorii  of  the  big  black  clouds  which  low- 
ered over  our  heads.  We  were  exerting  our- 
selves to  the  utmost  to  weather  the  cape, 
which  we  could  descry  by  the  lightning  on 
our  lee,  its  brow  being  frequently  brilliantly 
lighted  up  by  the  flashes  which  quivered 
around  it,  when  suddenly,  with  a  great  crash, 
the  engine  broke,  and  the  ])addles,  on  which 
depended  our  lives,  ceased  to  play. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  depict  the  scene  of 
horror  and  confusion  which  ensued  :  it  may 
be  imagined,  but  never  described.  The  cap- 
tain, to  give  him  his  due,  displayed  the  utmost 
coolness  and  intrepidity;  he  and  the  whole 
crew  made  the  greatest  exertions  to  repair  the 
engine,  and  when  they  found  their  labour  in 
vain,  endeavoured,  by  hoisting  the  sails,  and 
by  practising  all  possible  manoeuvres,  to  pre- 
serve the  ship  from  impending  destruction; 
but  all  was  of  no  avail,  we  were  hard  on  a 
lee  shore,  to  which  the  howling  tempest  was 
impelling  us.  About  this  time  T  was  stand- 
ing near  the  helm,  and  I  asked  the  steersman 
if  there  was  any  hope  of  saving  the  vessel,  or 
our  lives.  He  replied,  "  Sir,  it  is  a  had  affair, 
no  boat  could  live  for  a  minute  in  this  sea, 
and  in  leSs  than  an  hour  the  ship  will  have 
her  broadside  on  Finisterre,  where  the  strong- 
est man-of-war  ever  built  must  go  to  shivers 
instantly — none  of  us  will  see  the  morningr," 
The  captain,  likewise,  informed  the  other 
passengers  in  the  cabin  to  the  same  effect, 
telling  them  to  prepare  themselves;  and  hav- 
ing done  so,  he  ordered  the  door  to  be  fastened, 
and  none  to  be  permitted  to  come  on  deck. — 
I,  however,  kept  my  station,  though  almost 
drowned  with  water,  immense  waves  continu- 
ally breaking  over  our  windward  side  and 
flooding  the  ship.  The  water  casks  broke 
from  their  lashings,  and  one  of  them  struck 
me  down,  and  crushed  the  foot  of  the  unfor- 
tunate man  at  the  helm,  whose  place  was  in- 
stantly taken  by  the  captain.  Werwere  now 
close  to  the  rocks,  when  a  horrid  convulsion 
of  the  elements  took  place.  The  lightning 
enveloped  Ui  as  with  a  mantle,  the  thunders 


were  louder  than  the  roar  of  a  million  cannon, 
the  dregs  of  the  ocean  seemed  to  be  cast  up, 
and  in  the  midst  of  all  this  turmoil,  the  wind, 
without  the  slightest  intimation,  veered  right 
ahimt,  and  pushed  us  from  the  horrible  coast 
faster  than  it  had  previously  driven  us  towards 
it. 

The  oldest  sailors  on  board  acknowledged 
that  they  had  never  witnessed  so  providential 
«n  escape.  I  said,  from  the  bottom  of  my 
heart,  "  Our  Father — hallowed  be  thy  name." 

The  next  day  we  were  near  foundering,  for 
the  sea  was  exceedingly  high,  and  our  vessel, 
which  was  not  intended  for  sailing,  laboured 
terribly,  and  leaked  much.  The  pumps  were 
continually  working.  She  likewise  took  fire, 
but  the  flames  were  extinguished.  In  the 
evening  the  steam-engine  was  partially  re- 
paired, and  we  reached  Lisbon  on  the  thir- 
teenth, where  in  a  few  days  we  completed 
our  repairs. 

I  found  my  excellent  friend  W in  good 

health.  During  my  absence  he  had  been  do- 
ing every  thing  in  his  power  to  further  the 
sale  of  the  sacred  volume  in  Portuguese:  his 
zeal  and  devotedness  were  quite  admirable. 
The  distracted  state  of  the  country,  however, 
during  the  last  six  months,  had  sadly  impeded 
his  efforts.  The  minds  of  the  people  had  been 
so  engrossed  with  politics,  that  they  found 
scarcely  any  time  to  think  of  the  welfare  of 
their  souls.  The  political  history  of  Portugal 
had  of  late  afforded  a  striking  parallel  to  that 
of  the  neighbouring  country.  In  both  a  strug- 
gle for  supremacy  had  arisen  between  the 
court  and  the  democratic  party;  in  both  the 
latter  had  triumphed,  whilst  two  distinguished 
individuals  had  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  the  popu- 
lar fury — Freire  in  Portugal,  and  Quesada  in 
Spain.  The  news  which  reached  me  at  Lis- 
bon from  the  latter  country  were  rather  start- 
ling. The  hordes  of  Gomez  were  ravaging 
Andalusia,  which  T  was  about  to  visit  on  my 
way  to  Madrid;  Cordova  had  been  sacked 
and  abandoned  after  a  three  days'  occupation 
by  the  Carlists.  I  was  told  that  if  I  persisted 
in  my  attempt  to  enter  Spain  in  the  direction 
which  I  proposed,  I  should  probably  fall  into 
their  hands  at  Seville.  I  had,  however,  no 
fears,  and  had  full  confidence  that  the  Lord 
would  open  the  path  before  me  to  Madrid. 

The  vessel  being  repaired,  we  again  em- 
barked, and  in  two  days  arrived  in  safety 
at  Cadiz.  I  found  great  confusion  reigning 
there;  numerous  bands  of  the  factious  were 
reported  to  be  hovering  in  the  neighbourhood. 
An  attack  was  not  deemed  improbable,  and 
the  place  had  just  been  declared  in  a  state  of 
siege.  I  took  up  my  abode  at  the  French 
hotel  in  the  Calle  de  la  Niveria,  and  was 
allotted  a  species  of  cocklf)ft,  or  garret,  to 
sleep  in,  for  the  house  was  filled  with  guests, 
being  a  place  of  much  resort,  on  account  of 
the  excellent  table  d'hote  which  is  kept  there. 
I  dressed  myself  and  walked  about  the  town. 
I  entered  several  coffee-houses :  the  din  of 
tongues  in  all  was  deafening.  In  one  no  less 
than  six  orators  were  haranguing  at  the  same 
I  time  on  the  state  of  the  country,  and  the  pro^ 


7« 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


bability  of  an  intervention  on  the  part  of  Eng- 
land and  France.  As  I  was  listening  to  one 
of  tiiem,  he  suddenly  called  upon  ine  for  my 
opinion,  as  I  was  a  foreigner,  and  seemingly 
just  arrived.  I  replied  that  I  could  not  ven- 
ture to  guess  what  steps  the  two  governments 
would  pursue  under  the  present  circumstances, 
but  thought  that  it  would  be  as  well  if  the 
Spaniards  would  exert  themselves  more  and 
call  less  on  Jupiter.  As  I  did  not  wish  to  en- 
gage in  any  political  conversation,  I  instantly 
quitted  the  house,  and  sought  those  parts  of 
the  town  where  the  lower  classes  principally 
reside. 

I  entered  into  discourse  with  several  indi- 
viduals, but  found  them  very  ignorant;  none 
could  read  or  write,  and  their  ideas  respecting 
religion  were  any  thing  but  satisfactory, — 
most  professing  a  perfect  indifference.  I  af- 
terwards went  into  a  bookseller's  shop  and 
made  inquiries  respecting  the  demand  for  lite- 
rature, which,  he  informed  me,  was  small.  I 
produced  a  London  edition  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament in  Spanish,  and  asked  the  bookseller 
whether  he  thought  a  book  of  that  description 
would  sell  in  Cadiz.  He  said  that  both  the 
type  and  paper  were  exceedingly  beautiful, 
but  that  it  was  a  work  not  sought  after,  and 
very  little  known.  I  did  not  pursue  my  in- 
quiries in  other  shops,  for  I  reflected  that  I 
was  not  likely  to  receive  a  very  favourable 
opinion  from  booksellers  respecting  a  publi- 
cation in  which  they  had  no  interest.  I  had, 
moreover,  but  two  or  three  copies  of  the  New 
Testament  with  me,  and  could  not  have  sup- 
plied them  had  they  even  given  me  an  order. 

Early  on  the  24th,  I  embarked  for  Seville 
in  the  small  Spanish  steamer  "The  Betis:" 
the  morning  was  wet,  and  the  aspect  of  na- 
ture was  enveloped  in  a  dense  mist,  which 
prevented  my  observing  surrounding  objects. 
After  proceeding  about  six  leagues,  we  reach- 
ed the  northeastern  extremity  of  the  Bay  of 
Cadiz,  and  passed  by  Saint  Lucar,  an  ancient 
town  near  to  the  spot  where  the  Guadalquivir 
disembogues  itself.  The  mist  suddenly  dis- 
appeared, and  the  sun  of  Spain  burst  forth  in 
full  brilliancy,  enlivening  all  around,  and  par- 
ticularly myself,  who  had  till  then  been  lying 
on  the  deck  in  a  dull  melancholy  stupor.  We 
entered  the  mouth  of  "The  Great  River,"  for 
that  is  the  English  translation  of  Oued  al 
Kiber,  as  the  Moors  designated  the  ancient 
Betis.  We  came  to  anchor  for  a  few  minutes 
at  a  little  village  called  Bonanza,  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  first  reach  of  the  river,  where 
we  received  several  passengers,  and  again 
proceeded.  There  is  not  much  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Guadalquivir  to  interest  the  tra- 
veller: the  banks  are  low  and  destitute  of 
trees,  the  adjacent  country  is  flat,  and  only 
in  the  distance  is  seen  a  range  of  tall  blue 
sierras.  The  water  is  turbid  and  muddy,  and 
in  colour  closely  resemblins  the  contents  of  a 
duck-pool ;  the  average  width  of  the  stream 
is  from  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
yards,  but  it  is  impossible  to  move  along  this 
river  without  remembering  that  it  has  borne 
the  Roman,  the  Vandal,  and  the  Arab,  and 


has  been  the  witness  of  deeds  which  have 
resounded  through  the  world  and  been  the 
themes  of  immortal  songs.  I  repeated  Latin 
verses  and  fr?2:inents  of  old  Spanish  ballads 
till  we  reached  Seville,  at  about  nine  o'clock 
of  a  lovely  moonlight  night. 

Seville  contains  ninety  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, and  is  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  Guadalquivir,  about  eighteen  leagues  from 
its  mouth ;  it  is  surrounded  with  high  Moor- 
ish walls,  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  and 
built  of  such  durable  materials  that  it  is  pro- 
bable they  will  for  many  centuries  still  bid 
defiance  to  the  encroachments  of  time.  The 
most  remarkable  edifices  are  the  cathedral 
and  Alcazar,  or  palace  of  the  Moorish  kings; 
the  tower  of  the  former,  called  La  Giralda, 
belongs  to  the  period  of  the  Moors,  and  formed 
part  of  the  grand  mosque  of  Seville :  it  is  com- 
puted to  be  one  hundred  ells  in  height,  and  is 
ascended  not  by  stairs  or  ladders  but  by  a 
vaulted  pathway,  in  the  manner  of  an  inclined 
plane :  this  path  is  by  no  means  steep,  so  that 
a  cavalier  might  ride  up  to  the  top,  a  feat 
which  Ferdinand  the  Seventh  is  said  to  have 
accomplished.  The  view  from  the  summit  is 
very  extensive,  and  on  a  fine  clear  day  the 
mountain  ridge,  called  the  Sierra  de  Honda, 
may  be  discovered,  though  upwards  of  twenty 
leagues  distant.  The  cathedral  itself  is  a  no- 
ble Gothic  structure,  reputed  the  finest  of  the 
kind  in  Spain.  In  the  chapels  allotted  to  the 
various  saints,  are  some  of  the  most  magni- 
ficent paintings  which  Spanish  art  has  pro- 
duced ;  indeed,  the  Cathedral  of  Seville  is  at 
the  present  time  far  more  rich  in  splendid 
paintings  than  at  any  former  period  ;  possess- 
ing many  very  recently  removed  from  some 
of  the  suppressed  convents,  particularly  frcna 
the  Capuchin  and  San  Francisco. 

No  one  should  visit  Seville  without  paying 
particular  attention  to  the  Alcazar,  that  s^plen- 
did  specimen  of  Moorish  architecture.  It  con- 
tains many  magnificent  halls,  particularly  that 
of  the  Ambassadors,  so  called,  which  is  in 
every  respect  more  magnificent  than  the  one 
of  the  same  name  within  the  Alhambra  of 
Granada.  This  palace  was  a  favourite  re- 
sidence of  Peter  the  Cruel,  who  carefully 
repaired  it  without  altering  its  Moorish  cha- 
racter and  appearance.  It  probnbly  remains 
in  much  the  same  state  as  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 

On  the  right  side  of  the  river  is  a  large 
suburb,  called  Triana,  communicating  with 
Seville  by  means  of  a  bridge  of  boats;  for 
there  is  no  permanent  bridge  across  the  Gua- 
dalquivir, owing  to  the  violent  inundations  to 
which  it  is  subject.  This  suburb  is  inhabited 
by  the  dregs  of  the  populace,  and  abounds 
with  Gitanos  or  Gipsies.  About  a  league 
and  a  half  to  the  north-west,  stands  the  vil- 
lage of  Santo  Ponce  :  at  the  foot  and  on  the 
side  of  some  elevated  ground  higher  up  are  to 
be  seen  vestiges  of  ruined  walls  and  edifices, 
which  once  formed  part  of  Italica,  the  birth- 
place of  Silius  Italicus  and  Trajan,  from 
which  latter  personage  Triana  derives  its 
name. 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


73 


One  fine  morning  I  walked  thither,  and  hav- 
ing ascended  the  hill,  I  directed  my  course 
northward.  I  soon  reached  what  had  once 
been  bagnios,  and  a  little  farther  on,  in  a  kind 
of  valley,  between  two  gentle  declivities,  the 
amphitheatre.  This  latter  object  is  by  far  the 
most  considerable  relic  of  ancient  Italica,  it  is 
oval  in  its  form,  with  two  gateways  fronting 
the  east  and  west. 

On  all  sides  are  to  be  seen  the  time-worn 
broken  granite  benches,  from  whence  myriads 
of  human  beings  once  gazed  down  on  the  area 
below,  where  the  gladiator  shouted,  and  the 
lion  and  the  leopard  yelled:  all  around,  be- 
neath these  flights  of  benches,  are  vaulted 
excavations,  from  whence  the  combatants, 
part  human,  part  bestial,  darted  forth  by  their 
several  doors.  I  spent  many  hours  in  this 
singular  place,  forcing  my  way  through  the 
wild  fennel  and  brushwood  into  the  caverns, 
now  the  haunts  of  adders  and  other  reptiles, 
whose  hissings  I  heard.  Having  sated  my 
curiosity,  I  left  the  ruins,  and  returning  by 
another  way,  reached  a  place  where  lay  the 
carcass  of  a  horse  half  devoured ;  upon  it, 
with  lustrous  eyes,  stood  an  enormous  vul- 
ture, who,  as  1  approached,  slowly  soared 
aloft  till  he  alighted  on  the  eastern  gate  of 
the  amphitheatre,  from  whence  he  uttered  a 
hoarse  cry,  as  if  in  anger  that  I  had  disturbed 
him  from  his  feast  of  carrion. 

Gomez  had  not  hitherto  paid  a  visit  to  Se- 
ville :  when  I  arrived  he  was  said  to  be  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Ronda.  The  city  was  un- 
der watch  and  ward  :  several  gates  had  been 
blocked  up  with  masonry,  trenches  dug,  and 
redoubts  erected,  but  I  am  convinced  that  the 
place  would  not  have  held  out  six  hours 
against  a  resolute  attack.  Gomez  had  proved 
himself  to  be  a  most  extraordinary  man,  and 
with  his  small  army  of  Aragonese  and  Basques 
had,  within  the  last  four  months,  made  the 
tour  of  Spain.  He  had  very  frequently  been 
hemmed  in  by  forces  three  times  the  number 
of  his  own,  in  places  whence  escape  appeared 
impossible,  but  he  had  always  baffled  his  ene- 
mies, whom  he  seemed  to  laugh  at.  The 
most  absurd  accounts  of  victories  gained  over 
him  were  continually  issuing  from  the  press 
at  Seville ;  amongst  others  it  was  stated  that 
his  army  had  been  utterly  defeated,  himself 
killed,  and  that  twelve  hundred  prisoners  were 
on  their  way  to  Seville.  I  saw  these  prison- 
ers: instead  of  twelve  hundred  desperadoes, 
they  consisted  of  about  twenty  poor  lame 
ragged  wretches,  many  of  them  boys  from 
fourteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age.  They  were 
evidently  camp  followers,  who,  unable  to 
keep  up  with  the  army,  had  been  picked  up 
straggling  in  the  plains  and  amongst  the  hills. 

It  subsequently  appeared  that  no  battle  had 
occurred,  and  that  the  death  of  Gomez  was  a 
fiction.  The  grand  defect  of  Gomez  consist- 
ed in  not  knowing  how  to  take  advantage 
of  circumstances:  after  defeating  Lopez,  he 
might  have  marched  to  Madrid  and  proclaim- 
ed Don  Carlos  there,  and  after  sacking  Cor- 
dova he  might  have  captured  Seville. 
^  There  were  several  booksellers'  shops  at 
10 


Seville,  in  two  of  which  I  found  copies  of  the 
New  Testament  in  Spanish,  which  had  been 
obtained  from  Gibraltar  about  two  years  be- 
fore, since  which  time  six  copies  had  been 
sold  in  one  shop  and  four  in  the  other.  The 
person  who  generally  accompanied  me  in  my 
walks  about  the  town  and  the  neighbourhood, 
was  an  elderly  Genoese,  who  ofl^ciated  as  a 
kind  of  valet  de  place  in  the  Posada  del  Tur- 
co,  where  I  had  taken  up  my  residence.  On 
learning  from  me  that  it  was  my  intention  to 
bring  out  an  edition  of  the  New  Testament  at 
Madrid,  he  observed  that  copies  of  the  work 
might  be  extensively  circulated  in  Andalusia. 
"I  have  been  accustomed  to  bookselling,"  he 
continued,  "and  at  one  time  possessed  a  small 
shop  of  my  own  in  this  place.  Once  having 
occasion  to  go  to  Gibraltar,  I  procured  several 
copies  of  the  Scriptures ;  some,  it  is  true,  were 
seized  by  the  officers  of  the  customs,  but  the 
rest  I  sold  at  a  high  price,  and  with  consider- 
able profit  to  myself." 

I  had  returned  from  a  walk  in  the  country, 
on  a  glorious  sunshiny  morning  of  the  Anda- 
lusian  winter,  and  was  directing  my  steps  to- 
wards my  lodging;  as  I  was  passing  by  the 
portal  of  a  large  gloomy  house  near  the  gate 
of  Xeres,  two  individuals  dressed  in  zamarras 
emerged  from  the  archway,  and  were  about 
to  cross  my  path,  when  one,  looking  in  my 
face,  suddenly  started  back  exclaiming  in  the 
purest  and  most  melodious  French  :  "  What 
do  I  see?  If  my  eyes  do  not  deceive  me — it 
is  himself.  Yes,  the  very  same  as  I  saw  him 
first  at  Bayonne ;  then  long  subsequently  be- 
neath the  brick  wall  at  Novogorod  ;  then  be- 
side the  Bosphorus;  and  last  at — at — Oh,  my 
respectable  and  cherished  friend,  where  was 
it  that  I  had  last  the  felicity  of  seeing  your 
well  remembered  and  most  remarkable  phy- 
siognomy 1" 

Myself, — It  was  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  if 
I  mistake  not.  Was  it  not  there  that  I  intro- 
duced you  to  the  sorcerer  who  tamed  the 
savage  horses  by  a  single  whisper  into  their 
ear?  But  tell  me  what  brings  you  to  Spain 
and  Andalusia,  the  last  place  where  I  should 
have  expected  to  find  you  ? 

Baron  Taylor. — And  wherefore,  my  most 
respectable  B  *****  ?  Is  not  Spain  the 
land  of  the  arts;  and  is  not  Andalusia  of  all 
Spain  that  portion  which  has  produced  the 
noblest  monuments  of  artistic  excellence  and 
inspiration.  Surely  you  know  enough  of  me 
to  be  aware  that  the  arts  are  my  passion  ;  that 
I  am  incapable  of  imagining  a  more  exalted 
enjoyment  than  to  gaze  in  adoration  on  a 
noble  picture.  O  come  with  me !  for  you 
too  have  a  soul  capable  of  appreciating  what 
is  lovely  and  exalted ;  a  soul  delicate  and 
sensitive.  Come  with  me  and  I  will  show 
you  a  Murillo,  such  as  ....  But  first  allow 
me  to  introduce  you  to  your  compatriot.  My 
dear  Monsieur  W.,  turning  to  his  companion, 
(an  English  gentleman  from  whom  and  from 
his  family  I  subsequently  experienced  un- 
bounded kindness  and  hospitality  on  various 
occasions,  and  at  different  periods,  at  Seville,) 
allow  me  to  introduce  to  you  my  most  cherish- 
G 


74 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


ed  and  respectable  friend,  one  who  is  belter 
acquainted  with  Gipsy  ways  than  the  Chef 
des  Bohemiens  a  Triana,  one  who  is  an  expert 
whisperer  and  horse-sorcerer,  and  who,  to  his 
honour  I  say  it,  can  wield  hammer  and  tongs, 
and  handle  a  horse-shoe  with  the  best  of  the 
smiths  amongst  the  Alpujarras  of  Granada. 

In  the  course  of  my  travels  I  have  formed 
various  friendships  and  acquaintances,  but  no 
one  has  more  interested  me  than  Baron  Tay- 
lor, and  there  is  no  one  for  whom  1  entertain 
a  greater  esteem  and  regard.  To  personal 
and  mental  accomplishments  of  the  highest 
order  he  unites  a  kindness  of  heart  rarely  to 
be  met  with,  and  which  is  continually  inducing 
him  to  seek  for  opportunities  of  doing  good  to 
his  fellow  creatures,  and  of  contributing  to 
their  happiness ;  perhaps  no  person  in  exist- 
ence has  seen  more  of  the  world  and  life  in  its 
various  phases  than  himself.  His  manners 
are  naturally  to  the  highest  degree  courtly,  yet 
he  nevertheless  possesses  a  disposition  so 
pliable  that  he  finds  no  difficulty  in  accommo- 
dating himself  to  all  kinds  of  company,  in 
consequence  of  which  he  is  a  universal  fa- 
vourite. There  is  a  mystery  about  him, 
which,  wherever  he  goes,  serves  not  a  little 
to  increase  the  sensation  naturally  created  by 
his  appearance  and  manner.  Who  he  is,  no 
one  pretends  to  assert  with  downright  posi- 
tiveness:  it  is  whispered,  however,  that  he  is 
a  scion  of  royalty  ;  and  who  can  gaze  for  a 


moment  upon  that  most  graceful  figure,  that 
most  intelligent  but  singularly  niculded  coun- 
tenance, and  tho&e  large  and  expressive  eyes, 
without  feeling  as  equally  convinced  that  he  is 
of  no  common  lineage,  as  ihat  he  is  no  com- 
mon man.  Though  possessed  of  talents  and 
eloquence  which  would  speedily  have  enabled 
him  to  attain  to  an  illustrious  position  in  the 
state,  he  has  hitherto,  and  perhaps  wisely, 
contented  himself  with  comparative  obscurity, 
chiefly  devoting  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
arts  and  of  literature,  of  both  of  which  he  is  a 
most  bounteous  patron. 

He  has,  notwithstanding,  been  employed  by 
the  illustrious  house  to  which  he  is  said  to  be 
related  in  more  than  one  delicate  and  impor- 
tant mission,  both  in  the  East  and  the  West, 
in  which  his  efforts  have  uniformly  been 
crowned  with  complete  success.  He  was 
now  collecting  masterpieces  of  the  Spanish 
school  of  painting,  which  were  destined  to 
adorn  the  saloons  of  the  Tuilleries. 

He  has  visited  most  portions  of  the  earth, 
and  it  is  remarkable  enough  that  we  are  con- 
tinually encountering  each  other  in  strange 
places  and  under  singular  circumstances. 
Whenever  he  descries  me,  whether  in  the 
street  or  the  desert,  the  brilliant  hall  or  amongst 
Bedouin  haimas,  at  Novcgorod  or  Stambul, 
he  flings  up  his  arms  and  exclaims,  "  0  ciel ! 
I  have  again  the  felicity  of  seeing  my  cherish 
ed  and  most  respectable  B  *  *  ♦  *  ♦." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Departure  for  Cordova — Carmona — German  Colonies — Language — The  Sluggish  Horse — Nocturnal 
Welcome — Carlist  Landlord — Good  Advice — Gomez — The  Old  Genoese — The  Two  Opinions. , 


After  a  sojourn  of  about  fourteen  days  at 
Seville,  I  departed  for  Cordova.  The  diligence 
had  for  some  time  past  ceased  running,  owing 
to  the  disturbed  state  of  the  province.  I  had 
therefore  no  resource  but  to  proceed  thither  on 
horseback.  I  hired  a  couple  of  horses,  and 
engaged  the  old  Genoese,  of  whom  I  have 
already  had  occasion  to  speak,  to  attend  me  as 
far  as  Cordova,  and  to  bring  them  back. 
Notwithstanding  we  were  now  in  the  depths 
of  winter,  the  weather  was  beautiful,  the  days 
sunny  and  brilliant,  though  the  nights  were 
rather  keen.  W^e  passed  by  the  little  town  of 
Alcala,  celebrated  for  the  ruins  of  an  immense 
Moorish  castle,  which  stand  on  a  rocky  hill, 
overhanging  a  picturesque  river.  The  first 
night  we  slept  at  Carmona,  another  Moorish 
town,  distantabout  seven  leagues  from  Seville. 
Early  in  the  morning  we  again  mounted  and 
departed.  Perhaps  in  the  whole  of  Spain 
there  is  scarcely  a  finer  Moorish  monument  of 
antiquity  than  the  eastern  side  of  this  town  of 
Carmona,  which  occupies  the  brow  of  a  lofty 
hill,  and  frowns  over  an  extensive  vega  or 
plain,  which  extends  for  leagues  unplanted 
and  uncultivated,  producing nothibgbutbrush- 


wood  and  carasco.  Here  rise  tall  and  dusky 
walls,  with  square  towers  at  short  distances, 
of  so  massive  a  structure  that  they  would 
seem  to  bid  defiance  alike  to  the  tooth  of  time 
and  the  hand  of  man.  This  town,  in  the  time 
of  the  Moors,  was  considered  the  key  to 
Seville,  and  did  not  submit  to  the  Christian 
arms  till  after  a  long  and  desperate  siege:  the 
capture  of  Seville  followed  speedily  after. 
The  vega  upon  which  we  now  entered  forms 
a  part  of  the  grand  despoblado  or  desert  of 
Andalusia,  once  a  smiling  garden,  but  which 
became  what  it  now  is  on  the  expulsion  of  the 
Moors  from  Spain,  when  it  was  drained 
almost  entirely  of  its  population.  The  towns 
and  villages  from  hence  to  the  Sierra  Morena, 
which  divides  Andalusia  from  La  Mancha,  are 
few  and  far  between,  and  even  of  these  several 
date  from  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  when 
an  attempt  was  made  by  a  Spanish  minister  to 
people  this  wilderness  with  the  children  of  a 
foreign  land. 

At  about  midday  we  arrived  at  a  place  called 
Muncloa,  which  consisted  of  a  venta  and  a 
desolate  looking  edifice  which  had  something 
of  the  appearance  of  a  chateau:  a  solitary 


THE    BIBLE    IN   SPAIN 


palm  tree  raised  its  head  over  the  outer  wall. 
vVe  entered  the  venta,  tied  our  horses  to  the 
manger,  and  having  ordered  barley  for  them, 
v/e  sat  down  before  a  large  fire,  which  burned 
in  the  middle  of  the  venta.  The  host  and 
hostess  also  came  and  sat  down  beside  us. — 
"  They  are  evil  people,"  said  the  old  Genoese 
to  me  in  Italian,  "and  this  is  an  evil  house; 
it  is  a  harbouring  place  for  thieves,  and  mur- 
ders liave  been  committed  here,  if  all  tales  be 
true."  I  looked  at  these  two  people  atten- 
tively; they  were  both  young;  the  man  ap- 
parently about  twenty-five  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  short  thick  made  churl,  evidently  of 
prodigious  strength;  his  features  were  rather 
handsome,  but  with  a  gloomy  expression,  and 
his  eyes  were  full  of  sullen  fire.  His  wife 
somewhat  resembled  him,  but  had  a  counte- 
nance more  open  and  better  tempered;  but 
what  struck  me  as  most  singular  in  connexion 
with  these  people,  was  the  colour  of  their  hair 
and  complexion ;  the  latter  was  fair  and  ruddy, 
and  the  former  of  a  bright  auburn,  both  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  black  hair  and  swarthy 
visages  which  in  general  distinguish  the  na- 
tives of  this  province.  "Are  you  an  Anda- 
lusian  ] "  said  I  to  the  hostess.  "  I  should 
almost  conclude  you  to  be  a  German." 

Hostess. — And  your  worship  would  not  be 
very  wrong.  It  is  true  that  I  am  a  Spaniard, 
being  born  in  Spain,  but  it  is  equally  true 
that  I  am  of  German  blood,  for  my  grand  pa- 
rents came  from  Germany,  even  like  those  of 
this  gentleman,  my  lord  and  husband. 

Myself. — And  what  chance  brought  your 
grand  parents  into  this  country  ■? 

Hostess. — Did  your  worship  never  hear  of 
the  German  colonies?  There  are  many  of 
them  in  these  parts.  In  old  times  the  land 
was  nearly  deserted,  and  it  was  very  danger- 
ous for  travellers  to  journey  along  the  waste, 
owing  to  the  robbers.  So  a  long  time  ago, 
nearly  a  hundred  years,  as  I  am  told,  some 
potent  lord  sent  messengers  to  Germany,  to 
tell  the  people  there  what  a  goodly  land  there 
was  in  these  parts  uncultivated  for  want  of 
hands,  and  to  promise  every  labourer  who 
would  consent  to  come  and  till  it,  a  house 
and  a  yoke  of  oxen,  with  food  and  provision 
for  one  year.  And  in  consequence  of  this  in- 
vitation a  great  many  poor  families  left  the 
German  land  and  came  hither,  and  settled 
down  in  certain  towns  and  villages  which  had 
been  prepared  for  them,  which  places  were 
called  German  colonies,  and  this  name  they 
still  retain. 

Myself. — And  how  many  of  these  colonies 
may  there  be  1 

Hostess. — There  are  several,  both  on  this 
side  of  Cordova  and  the  other.  The  nearest 
is  Luisiana,"  about  two  leagues  from  hence, 
from  which  place  both  my  husband  and  my- 
self come ;  the  next  is  Carlota,  which  is  some 
ten  leagues  distant,  and  these  are  the  only 
colonies  of  our  people  which  I  have  seen ;  but 
there  are  others  farther  on,  and  some,  as  I 
have  heard  say,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Sierra 
Moreaa. 


Myself. — And  do  the  colonists  still  retain 
the  language  of  their  forefathers  1 

Hostess. — We  speak  Spanish,  or  rather  An- 
dalusian,  and  no  other  language.  A  few,  in- 
deed, amongst  the  very  old  people,  retain  a 
few  words  of  German,  which  they  acquired 
from  their  fathers,  who  were  born  in  the  other 
country ;  but  the  last  person  amongst  the  col- 
onists who  could  understand  a  conversation 
in  German,  was  the  aunt  of  my  mother,  who 
came  over  when  a  girl.  When  I  was  a  child 
I  remember  her  conversing  with  a  foreign 
traveller,  a  countryman  of  hers,  in  a  language 
which  I  was  told  was  German,  and  they  un- 
derstood each  other,  though  the  old  woman 
confessed  that  she  had  lost  many  words  :  she 
has  now  been  dead  several  years. 

Myself. — Of  what  religion  are  the  colonists? 

Hostess. — They  are  Christians,  like  the 
Spaniards,  and  so  were  their  fathers  before 
them.  Indeed,  I  have  heard  that  they  came 
from  a  part  of  Germany  where  the  Christian 
religion  is  as  much  practised  as  in  Spain  it- 
self. 

Myself. — The  Germans  are  the  most  honest 
people  in  the  world ;  being  their  legitimate 
descendants  you  have  of  course  no  thieves 
amongst  you. 

The  hostess  glanced  at  me  for  a  moment, 
then  looked  at  her  husband  and  smiled :  the 
latter,  who  had  hitherto  been  smoking  without 
uttering  a  word,  though  with  a  peculiarly 
surly  and  dissatisfied  countenance,  now  flung 
the  remainder  of  his  cigar  amongst  the  em- 
bers, then  springing  up,  he  muttered  "Dis- 
parate !  "  and  "  Conversacion  !  "  and  went 
abroad. 

"You  touched  them  in  the  sore  place,  Sig' 
nor,"  said  the  Genoese,  after  we  had  left  Mun- 
cloa  some  way  behind  us.  "Were  they  hon- 
est people  they  would  not  keep  that  venta ; 
and  as  for  the  colonists,  I  know  not  what  kin4 
of  people  they  might  be  when  they  first  came 
over,  but  at  present  their  ways  are  not  a  bit 
better  than  those  of  the  Andalusians,  but  rather 
worse,  if  there  is  any  difference  at  all." 

A  short  time  before  sunset  of  the  third  day 
after  our  departure  from  Seville,  we  found 
ourselves  at  the  Cuesta  del  Espinal,  or  hill 
of  the  thorn  tree,  at  about  two  leagues  from 
Cordova; — we  could  just  descry  the  walls  of 
the  city,  upon  which  the  last  beams  of  the 
descending  luminary  were  resting.  As  the 
neighbourhood  in  which  we  were  was,  ac- 
cording to  the  account  of  my  guide,  generally 
infested  with  robbers,  we  used  our  best  en- 
deavours to  reach  the  town  before  the  night 
should  have  entirely  closed  in.  We  did  not 
succeed,  however,  and  before  we  had  proceed- 
ed half  the  distance,  pitxjhy  darkness  overtook 
us.  Throughout  the  journey  we  had  been 
considerably  delayed  by  the  badness  of  our 
horses,  especially  that  of  my  attendant,  which 
appeared  to  pay  no  regard  to  whip  or  spur: 
his  rider  also  was  no  horseman,  it  being  thirty 
years,  as  he  at  length  confessed  to  me,  since 
he  last  mounted  in  a  saddle.  Horses  soon 
become  aware  of  the  powers  of  their  riders, 


76 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


and  the  brute  in  question  was  disposed  to 
take  great  advantage  of  the  fears  and  weak- 
ness of  the  old  man.  There  is  a  remedy, 
however,  for  most  things  in  this  world.  I 
became  so  wearied  at  last  of  the  snail's  pace 
at  which  we  were  proceeding,  that  1  fastened 
the  bridle  of  the  sluggish  horse  to  the  crup- 
per of  mine,  then  sparing  neither  spur  nor 
cudgel,  I  soon  forced  my  own  horse  into  a 
kind  of  trot,  which  compelled  the  other  to 
make  some  use  of  his  legs.  He  twice  at- 
tempted to  fling  himself  down,  to  the  great 
terror  of  his  aged  rider,  who  frequently  en- 
treated me  to  stop  and  permit  him  to  dismount. 
I,  however,  took  no  notice  of  what  he  said, 
but  continued  spurring  and  cudgelling  with 
unabated  activity,  and  with  such  success,  that 
in  less  than  half  an  hour  we  saw  lights  close 
before  us,  and  presently  came  to  a  river  and  a 
bridge,  which  crossing,  we  found  ourselves  at 
the  gate  of  Cordova,  without  having  broken 
either  our  horses'  knees  or  our  own  necks. 

We  passed  through  the  entire  length  of  the 
town  ere  we  reached  theposada;  the  streets 
•were  dark  and  almost  entirely  deserted.  The 
posada  was  a  large  building,  the  windows  of 
which  were  well  fenced  with  rejas,  or  iron 
grating :  no  light  gleamed  from  them,  and  the 
silence  of  death  not  only  seemed  to  pervade 
the  house,  but  the  street  in  which  it  was 
situated.  We  knocked  for  a  long  time  at  the 
gate  without  receiving  any  answer;  we  then 
raised  our  voices  and  shouted.  At  last  some 
one  from  within  inquired  what  we  wanted. 
"  Open  the  door  and  you  will  see,"  we  re- 
plied. "  I  shall  do  no  such  thing,"  answered 
the  individual  from  within,  "until  I  know 
who  you  are."  "  We  are  travellers,"  said  I, 
*'  from  Seville."  "  Travellers,  are  you,"  said 
the  voice;  "why  did  you  not  tell  me  so  be- 
fore'? I  am  not  porter  at  this  house  to  keep 
out  travellers.  Jesus  Maria  knows  we  have 
pot  so  many  of  them  that  we  need  repulse 
any.  Enter,  cavalier,  and  welcome,  you  and 
your  company." 

He  opened  the  gate  and  admitted  us  into  a 
spacious  court-yard,  and  then  forthwith  again 
secured  the  gate  with  various  bolts  and  bars. 
"Are  you  afraid  that  the  Carlists  should  pay 
you  a  visit,"  I  demanded,  "that  you  take  so 
much  precaution r'  "It  is  not  the  Carlists 
we  are  afraid  of,"  replied  the  porter;  "they 
have  been  here  already,  and  did  us  no  damage 
whatever.  It  is  certain  scoundrels  of  this 
town  that  we  are  afraid  of,  who  have  a  spite 
against  the  master  of  the  house,  and  would 
murder  both  him  and  his  family,  could  they 
but  find  an  opportunity." 

I  was  about  to  inquire  the  cause  of  this  en- 
mity, when  a  thick  bulky  man,  bearing  a  light 
in  his  hand,  came  running  down  a  stone  stair- 
case, which  led  into  the  interior  of  the  build- 
ing. Two  or  three  females,  also  bearing 
lights,  followed  him.  He  stopped  on  the 
lowest  stair.  "  Whom  have  we  here  ?"  he 
exclaimed;  then  advancing  the  lamp  which 
he  bore,  the  light  fell  full  upon  my  face. 
"Ola!"  he  exclaimed;  "Is  it  youl    Only 


think,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  female  who 
stood  next  him,  a  dark  featured  person,  stout 
as  himself,  and  about  his  own  age,  which 
might  border  upon  fifty;  "Only  think,  my 
dear,  that  at  the  very  moment  we  were  wish- 
ing for  a  guest,  an  Englishman  should  be 
standing  before  our  doors;  for  I  should  know 
an  Englishman  at  a  mile's  distance,  even  in 
the  dark.  Juanito,"  cried  he  to  the  porter; 
"  open  not  the  gate  any  more  to-night,  who- 
ever may  ask  for  admission.  Should  the  na- 
tionals come  to  make  any  distiirbance,  tell 
them  that  the  son  of  Belington  (Wellington) 
is  in  the  house,  ready  to  attack  them  sword  in 
hand  unless  they  retire;  and  should  other 
travellers  arrive,  which  is  not  likely,  inas- 
much as  we  have  seen  none  for  a  month  past, 
say  that  we  have  no  room,  all  our  apartments 
being  occupied  by  an  English  gentleman  and 
his  company." 

I  soon  found  that  my  friend  the  posadero 
was  a  most  egregious  Carlist.  Before  1  had 
finished  supper — during  which,  both  himself 
and  all  his  family  were  present,  surrounding 
the  little  table  at  which  I  sat,  and  observing 
my  every  motion,  particularly  the  manner  in 
which  I  handled  my  knife  and  fork  and  con- 
veyed the  food  to  my  mouth — he  commenced 
talking  politics  :  "I  am  of  no  particular  opi- 
nion, Don  Jorge,"  said  he,  for  he  had  inquired 
my  name  in  order  that  he  might  address  me  in 
a  suitable  manner;  "I  am  of  no  particular 
opinion,  and  I  hold  neither  for  King  Carlos, 
nor  for  the  Chica  Isabel :  nevertheless  I  lead 
the  life  of  a  dog  in  this  accursed  Christino 
town  which  I  would  have  left  long  ago.  had  it 
not  been  the  place  of  my  birth,  and  did  I  but 
know  whither  to  betake  myself.  Ever  since 
the  troubles  have  commenced,  I  have  been 
afraid  to  stir  into  the  street,  for  no  sooner  do 
the  canaille  of  the  town  see  me  turning  round 
a  comer,  than  they  forthwith  exclaim,  '  Hal- 
loo, the  Carlist!'  and  then  there  is  a  run  and 
a  rush,  and  stones  and  cudgels  are  in  great 
requisition :  so  that,  unless  I  can  escape  home, 
which  is  no  easy  matter,  seeing  that  I  weigh 
eighteen  stone,  my  life  is  poured  out  in  the 
street,  which  is  neither  decent  nor  convenient, 
as  I  think  you  will  acknowledge,  Don  Jorge! 
You  see  that  young  man,"  he  continued, 
pointing  to  a  tall  swarthy  youth  who  stood 
behind  my  chair,  ofliiciating  as  waiter;  "  he  is 
my  fourth  son,  is  married,  and  does  not  live  in 
the  house,  but  about  a  hundred  yards  down 
the  street.  He  was  summoned  in  a  hurry  to 
wait  upon  your  worship,  as  is  his  duty  :  know, 
however,  that  he  has  come  at  the  peril  of  his 
life;  before  he  leaves  this  house,  he  must 
peep  out  into  the  street  to  see  if  the  coast  is 
clear,  and  then  he  must  run  like  a  partridge  to 
his  own  door.  Carlists !  why  should  they  call 
my  family  and  myself  Carlists?  It  is  true 
that  my  eldest  son  was  a  friar,  and  when  the 
convents  were  suppressed,  betook  himself  to 
the  royal  ranks,  in  which  he  has  been  fighting 
upwards  of  three  years;  could  I  help  that? 
Nor  was  it  my  fault,  I  trow,  that  my  second 
son  enlisted  the  other  day  with  Gomez  and  the 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


Royalists  •when  they  entered  Cordova.  God 
prosper  him,  I  say  ;  but  I  did  not  bid  him  go ! 
So  far  from  being  a  Carlist,  it  was  I  who 
persuaded  this  very  lad  who  is  present  to  re- 
main here,  though  he  would  fain  have  gone 
with  his  brother,  for  he  is  a  brave  lad  and  a 
true  Christian.  Stay  at  home,  said  I,  for 
what  can  I  do  without  you  1     Who  is  to  wait 


they  meet  him  in  the  street  and  kill  him  with 

their  knives!" 

"You  tell  me  that  you  were  acquainted 
with  Gomez:  what  kind  of  man  might  he 
be]" 

"A  middle  sized  man,"  replied  the  inn- 
keeper ;  "  grave  and  dark.  But  the  most  re- 
markable personage  in  appearance  of  them  all 


upon  the  guests  when  it  pleases  God  to  send    was  the  Sawyer:  he  is  a  kind  of  giant,  so  tall, 


them.  Stay  at  home,  at  least  till  your  brother, 
my  third  son,  comes  back,  for,  to  my  shame 
be  it  spoken,  Don  Jorge,  T  have  a  son  a  soldier 
and  a  sergeant  in  the  Christino  armies,  sorely 
against  his  own  inclination,  poor  fellow,  for 
he  likes  not  the  military  life,  and  I  have  been 
soliciting  his  discharge  for  years :  indeed,  I 
have  counselled  him  to  maim  himself,  in  order 


that  when  he  entered  the  doorway  he  invaria- 
bly struck  his  head  against  the  lintel.  The 
one  I  liked  least  of  all  was  one  Palillos,  who 
is  a  gloomy  savage  ruffian  whom  I  knew 
when  he  was  a  postillion.  Many  is  the  time 
that  he  has  been  at  my  house  of  old;  he  is 
now  captain  of  the  Manchegan  thieves,  for 
though  he  calls  himself  a  royalist,  he  is  neither 


that  he  might  procure  his  liberty  forthwith,  so  1  more  nor  less  than  a  thief:  it  is  a  disgrace  to 
I  said  to  this  lad.  Stay  at  home,  my  child,  till  the  cause  that  such  as  he  should  be  permitted 
your  brother  comes  to  take  your  place  and  to  mix  with  honourable  and  brave  men;  I  hate 
prevent  our  bread  being  eaten  by  strangers,    that  fellow,  Don  Jorge:  it  is  owing  to  him 


who  would  perhaps  sell  me  and  betray  me ;  so 
my  son  staid  at  home  as  you  see,  Don  Jorge, 
at  my  request,  and  yet  they  call  me  a  Car- 
list!" 

"  Gomez  and  his  bands  have  lately  been  in 
Cordova,"  said  I ;  "of  course  you  were  pre- 
sent at  all  that  occurred  :  how  did  they  com- 
port themselves  ■?" 

"  Bravely   well,"   replied   the    innkeeper, 
"bravely  well,  and  I  wish  they  were  here 
still.    I  hold  with  neither  side,  as  I  told  you 
before,  Don  Jorge,  but  I  confess  I  never  felt 
greater  pleasure  in  my  life  than  Avhen  they 
entered  the  gate ,  and  then  to  see  the  dogs  of 
nationals  flying  through  the  streets  to  save 
their  lives — that  was  a  sight  Don  Jorge — 
those  who  met  me  then  at  the  corner  forgot  to 
shout '  Halloo,  Carlista!' and  I  heard  not  a 
word  about  cudgelling ;   some  jumped  from 
the  wall  and  ran  no  one  knows  where,  whilst 
the  rest  retired  to  the  house  of  the  Inquisition, 
which  they  had  fortified,  and  there  they  shut 
themselves  up.     Now  you  must  know,  Don 
Jorge,    that    all    the   Carlist   chiefs    lodged 
at  my  house,  Gomez,  Cabrera,  and  the  Saw- 
yer; and  it  chanced  that  I  was  talking  to  my 
Lord  Gomez  in  this  very  room  in  which  we 
ate  now,  when  in  came  Cabrera  in  a  mighty 
fury — he  is  a  small  man,  Don  Jorge,  but  he  is 
as  active  as  a  wild  cat  and  as  fierce.     '  The 
canaille,"  said  he,  '  in  the  Casa  of  the  Inqui- 
sition refuse  to  surrender;  give  but  the  order, 
General,  and  I  will  scale  the  walls  with  my 
men  and  put  them  all  to  the  sword  ;'  but  Go- 
mez said,  'No,  we  must  not  spill  blood  if  we 
can  avoid  it;  order  a  few  muskets  to  be  fired  at 
them,  that  will  be  sufficient!'  And  so  it  proved, 
Don  Jorge,  for  after  a  few  discharges   their 
hearts  failed  them,  and  they  surrendered  at 
discretion  :  whereupon  their  arms  were  taken 
from  them  and  they  were  permitted  to  return 
to  their  own  houses  ;  but  as  soon  as  ever  the 
Carlists  departed,  these  fellows  became  as  bold 
as  ever,  and  itis  now  once  more,  '  Halloo  Car- 
lista !'  when  they  see  me  turning  the  corner, 
and  it  is  for  fear  of  them  that  my  son  must 
run  like  a  partridge  to  his  own  home,  now  that 
he  has  done  waiting  on  your  worship,  lest 


that  I  have  so  few  customers.  Travellers  are, 
at  present,  afraid  to  pass  through  La  Mancha, 
lest  they  fall  into  his  hands.  I  wish  he  were 
hangedjDon  Jorge, and  whetherby  Christines 
or  Royalists,  I  care  not." 

"  You  recognised  me  at  once  for  an  Eng- 
lishman," said  I;  "do  many  of  my  country- 
men visit  Cordova]" 

"  Toma .'"  said  the  landlord,  "  they  are  my 
best  customers;  I  have  had  Englishmen  in 
this  house  of  all  grades,  from  the  son  of 
Belington  to  a  young  medico,  who  cured  my 
daughter,  the  chica  here,  of  the  ear-ache. 
How  should  I  not  know  an  Englishman  ? 
There  were  two  with  Gomez,  serving  as 
volunteers.  Vaya  que  gente.-  what  noble 
horses  they  rode,  and  how  they  scattered 
their  gold  about ;  they  brought  with  them  a 
Portuguese,  who  was  much  of  a  gentleman 
but  very  poor ;  it  was  said  that  he  was  one 
of  Don  Miguel's  people,  and  that  these  Eng- 
lishmen supported  him  for  the  love  they  bore 
to  royalty  ;  he  was  continually  singing 

'  El  Rev  chegou — El  Rey  chegou, 
E  en  Belem  desembarcoui' 

Those  were  merry  days,  Don  Jorge.  By  the 
by,  I  forgot  to  ask  your  worship  of  what 
opinion  you  arel" 

The  next  morning,  whilst  I  was  dressingf, 
the  old  Genoese  entered  my  room :  "  Signore,"^ 
said  he,  "I  am  come  to  bid  you  farewell.  lam 
about  to  return  to  Seville  forthwith  with  the 
horses." 

"  Wherefore  in  such  a  hurry,"  I  replied  ; 
"  assuredly  you  had  better  tarry  till  to-morrow ; 
both  the  animals  and  yourself  require  rest; 
repose  yourselves  to-day,  and  I  will  defray 
the  expense." 

"  Tiiank  you,  Signore,  but  we  will  depart 
forthwith,  for  there  is  no  tarrying  in  this 
house." 

"What  is  the  matter  with  the  house?"  I 
inquired. 

"I  find  no  fault  with  the  house,"  replied 
the  Genoese,  "  it  is  the  people  who  keep  it  of 
whom  I  complain.  About  an  hour  since,  I 
went  down  to  get  my  breakfast,  and  there,  in 

62 


H 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


fhe  kitchen,  I  found  the  master  and  all  his 
family  :  well,  I  sat  down  and  called  for  cho- 
colate, which  they  hrought  me,  but  ere  I  could 
despatch  it,  the  master  fell  to  talking  politics. 
He  commenced  by  telling  me  that  he  held 
with  neither  side,  but  he  is  as  rank  a  Carlist 
as  Carlos  Quinto:  for  no  sooner  did  he  find 
that  I  was  of  the  other  opinion,  than  he  glared 
at  me  like  a  wild  beast.  You  must  know, 
Signore,  that  in  the  time  of  the  old  constitu- 
tion I  kept  a  coffee-house  at  Seville,  which 
was  frequented  by  all  the  principal  liberals, 
and  was,  indeed,  the  cause  of  my  ruin :  for  as 
I  admired  their  opinions,  I  gave  my  customers 
■whatever  credit  they  required,  both  with  re- 
gard to  coffee  and  liqueurs,  so  that  by  the 
time  the  constitution  was  put  down  and  des- 
potism re-established,  I  had  trusted  them 
with  all  I  had.  It  is  possible  that  many  of 
them  would  have  paid  me,  for  I  believe  they 
harboured  no  evil  intention;  but  the  persecution 
came,  the  liberals  took  to  flight,  and,  as  was 
natural  enough,  thought  more  of  providing  for 
their  own  safety  than  of  paying  me  for  my 
coffee  and  liqueurs ;  nevertheless,  I  am  a 
friend  to  their  system,  and  never  hesitate  to 
Bay  so.  So  the  landlord,  as  I  told  your  wor- 
ship before,  when  he  found  that  I  was  of  this 
opinion,  glared  at  me  like  a  wild  beast :  '  Get 
out  of  my  house,'  said  he,  '  For  I  will  have 


no  spies  here,'  and  thereupon  he  spoke  dis 
respectfully  of  the  young  Queen  Isabel  and  of 
Christina,  who,  notwithstandmgshe  is  al*iea- 
politan,  I  consider  as  my  countrywoman. 
Hearing  this,  your  worship,  I  confess  that  I 
lost  my  temper  and  returned  the  compliment, 
by  saying  that  Carlos  was  a  knave  and  the 
Princess  of  Beira  no  belter  than  she  should 
be.  I  then  prepared  to  swallow  the  chocolate, 
but  ere  I  could  bring  it  to  my  lips,  the  woman 
of  the  house,  who  is  a  still  ranker  Carlist  than 
her  husband,  if  that  be  possible,  coming  up 
to  me  struck  the  cup  into  the  air  as  high  as 
the  ceiling,  exclaiming,  'Begone,  you  dog 
of  a  negro,  you  shall  taste  nothing  more  in 
my  house;  may  you  be  hanged  even  as  a  swine 
is  hanged.'  So  your  worship  sees  that  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  remain  here  any  longer. 
I  forgot  to  say  that  the  knave  of  a  landlord 
told  me  that  you  had  confessed  yourself  to  be  of 
the  same  politics  as  himself,  or  he  would  not 
have  harboured  you." 

"  My  good  man,"  said  I,  "  I  am  invariably 
of  the  politics  of  the  people  at  whose  table  I 
sit,  or  beneath  whose  roof  I  sleep  ;  at  least  I 
never  say  any  thing  which  can  lead  them  to 
suspect  the  contrary  :  by  pursuing  which  sys- 
tem I  have  more  than  once  escaped  a  bloody 
pillow,  and  having  the  wine  I  drank  spiced 
with  sublimate." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Cordova — Moors  of  Barbary — The  English — An  Old  Priest — The  Roman  Breviary — The  Dovecote — 
The  Holy  Office — Judaism — Desecration  of  Dovecotes — The  Innkeeper's  Proposal. 


LiTTtE  can  be  said  with  respect  to  the  town 
of  Cordova,  which  is  a  mean  dark  gloomy 
place,  full  of  narrow  streets  and  alleys, 
without  squares  or  public  buildings  worthy 
of  attention,  save  and  except  its  far-famed 
cathedral;  its  situation,  however,  is  be&utiful 
and  picturesque.  Before  it  runs  the  Guadal- 
quivir, which,  though  in  this  part  shallow  and 
full  of  sandbanks,  is  still  a  delightful  stream  ; 
•whilst  behind  it  rise  the  steep  sides  of  the  Si- 
erra Morena,  planted  up  to  the  top  with  olive 
ffroves.  The  town  or  city  is  surrounded  on 
all  sides  by  lofty  Moorish  walls,  which  may 
measure  about  three  quarters  of  a  league  in 
circumference;  unlike  Seville,  and  most  other 
towns  in  Spain,  it  has  no  suburbs. 

I  have  said  that  Cordova  has  no  remarkable 
edifices,  save  its  cathedral ;  yet  this  is  per- 
haps the  most  extraordinary  place  of  worsliip 
in  the  world.    It  was  originally,  as  is  well 


known,  a  mosque,  built  in  the  brightest  days 
of  Arabian  dominion  in  Spain:  in  shape  it 
was  quadrangular,  with  a  low  roof,  supported 
by  an  infinity  of  small  and  delicately  rounded 
marble  pillars,  many  of  which  still  remain, 
and  present  at  first  sight  the  appearance  of  a 
marble  grove;  the  greater  part,  however,  were 
removed  when  the  Christians,  after  the  ex- 
pulsion of  the  Moslems,  essayed  to  convert 
the  mosque  into  a  cathedral,  which  they  ef- 
fected in  part  by  the  erection  of  a  dome,  and 
by  clearing  an  open  space  for  a  choir.  As  it 
at  present  exists,  the  temple  appears  to  belong 
partly  to  Mahomet,  and  partly  to  the  Naza- 
rene;  and  though  this  jumbling  together  of 
massive  Gothic  architecture  with  the  light  and 
delicate  style  of  the  Arabians,  produces  an 
effect  somewhat  bizarre,  it  still  remains  a 
magnificent  and  glorious  edifice,  and  well  cal- 
culated to  excite  feelings  of  awe  and  vene- 


THE   BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


79 


ration  within  the  bosoms  of  those  who  en- 
ter it. 

The  Moors  of  Barbary  seem  to  care  but 
little  for  the  exploits  of  their  ancestors;  their 
minds  are  centered  in  the  things  of  the  pre- 
sent day,  and  only  so  far  as  those  things  re- 
gard themselves  individually.  Disinterested 
enthusiasm,  that  truly  distinguishing  mark 
of  a  noble  mind,  and  admiration  for  what  is 
great,  good,  and  grand,  they  appear  to  be  to- 
tally incapable  of  feeling.  It  is  astonishing 
with  what  indifference  they  stray  amongst 
the  rcilics  of  ancient  Moorish  grandeur  in 
Spain.  No  feelings  of  exultation  seero  to  be 
excited  by  the  proof  of  what  the  Moor  once 
was,  nor  of  regret  at  the  consciousness  of 
what  he  now  is.  More  interesting  to  them 
are  their  perfumes,  their  papouches,  their 
dates,  and  their  silks  of  Fez  and  Maraks,  to 
dispose  of  which  they  visit  Andalusia;  and 
yet  the  generality  of  these  men  are  far  from 
being  ignorant,  and  have  both  heard  and  read 
of  what  was  passing  in  Spain  in  the  old  time. 
I  was  once  conversing  with  a  Moor  at  Madrid, 
with  whom  I  was  very  intimate,  about  the 
Alhambra  of  Granada,  which  he  had  visited. 
"  Did  you  not  weep,"  said  I,  "  when  you 
passed  through  the  courts,  and  thought  of  the 
Abencerrages?"  "No,"  said  he,  "I  did  not 
weep;  wherefore  should  I  weep?"  "And 
why  did  you  visit  the  Alhambra  1"  f  demand- 
ed. "  I  visited  it,"  he  replied,  "  because  be- 
ing at  Granada  on  my  own  affairs,  one  of 
your  countrymen  requested  me  to  accompany 
him  thither,  that  I  might  explain  some  of  the 
inscriptions.  I  should  certainly  not  have  gone 
of  my  own  accord,  for  the  hill  on  which  it 
stands  is  steep."  And  yet  this  man  could 
compose  verses,  and  was  by  no  means  a  con- 
temptible poet.  Once  at  Cordova,  whilst  1 
was  in  the  cathedral,  three  Moors  entered  it, 
and  proceeded  slowly  across  its  floor  in  the 
direction  of  a  gate,  which  stood  at  the  oppo- 
site side;  they  took  no  f\irther  notice  of  what 
was  around  them  than  by  slightly  glancing 
once  or  twice  at  the  pillars,  one  of  them  ex- 
claiming, "  Huaije  del  Mselmeen,  huaije  de^ 
Mie/meen;''^  (things  of  the  Moors,  things  of 
the  Moors  ;)  and  showed  no  ottier  respect  for 
the  place  where  Abderrahman  the  Magnificent 
prostrated  himself  of  old,  than  facing  about 
on  arriving  at  the  farther  door  and  making 
their  egress  backwards  ;  yet  these  men  were 
hajis  and  talebs,  men  likewise  of  much  gold 
and  silver,  men  who  had  read,  who  had  tra- 
velled, who  had  seen  Mecca,  and  the  great 
city  of  Negroland. 

I  remained  in  Cordova  much  longer  than  I 
had  originally  intended,  owing  to  the  accounts 
which  I  was  continually  hearing  of  the  un- 
safe state  of  the  roads  to  Madrid.  I  soon  ran- 
sacked every  nook  and  cranny  of  this  ancient 
town,  formed  various  acquaintances  amongst 
the  populace,  which  is  my  general  practice 
on  arriving  at  a  strange  place.  I  more  than 
once  ascended  the  side  of  the  Sierra  Morena, 
in  wnich  excursions  I  was  accompanied  by 
the  son  of  my  host, — the  tall  lad  of  whom  I 


have  already  spoken.  The  people  of  the 
house,  who  had  imbibed  the  idea  that  I  was 
of  the  same  way  of  thinking  as  themselves, 
were  exceedingly  courteous;  it  is  true  that 
in  return  I  was  compelled  to  listen  to  a  vast 
deal  of  Carlism,  in  other  words,  high  treason, 
against  the  ruling  powers  in  Spain,  to  which, 
however,  I  submitted  with  patience.  "  Don 
Jorgito,"  said  the  landlord  to  me  one  day,  "I 
love  the  English  ;  they  are  my  best  customers. 
It  is  a  pity  that  there  is  not  greater  union  be- 
tween Spain  and  England,  and  that  more  Eng- 
lish do  not  visit  us.  Why  should  there  not 
be  a  marriage?  The  king  will  speedily  be 
at  Madrid.  Why  should  there  not  be  bodas 
between  the  son  of  Don  Carlos  and  the  heir- 
ess of  England .?" 

"  It  would  certainly  tend  to  bring  a  consi- 
derable number  of  English  to  Spain,"  said  I, 
"and  it  would  not  be  the  first  time  that  the 
son  of  a  Carlos  has  married  a  Princess  of 
England." 

The  host  mused  for  a  moment,  and  then 
exclaimed,  "  Carracho,  Don  Jorgito,  if  this 
marriage  could  be  brought  about,  both  the 
king  and  myself  should  have  cause  to  fling 
our  caps  in  the  air." 

The  house  or  posada  in  which  I  had  taken 
up  my  abode  was  exceedingly  spacious,  con- 
taining an  infinity  of  apartments,  both  large 
and  small,  the  greater  partof  which  were,  how- 
ever, unfurnished.  The  chamber  in  which  I 
was  lodged  stood  at  the  end  of  an  immensely 
long  corridor,  of  the  kind  so  admirably  de- 
scribed in  the  wondrous  tale  of  Udolfo.  For 
a  day  or  two  after  my  arrival  I  believed  my- 
self to  be  the  only  lodger  in  the  house.  One 
morning,  however,  I  beheld  a  strange  looking 
old  man  seated  in  the  corridor,  by  one  of  the 
windows,  reading  intently  in  a  small  thick 
volume.  He  was  clad  in  garments  of  coarse 
blue  cloth,  and  wore  a  loose  spencer  over  a 
waistcoat  adorned  with  various  rows  of  small 
buttons  of  mother  of  pearl;  he  had  spectacles 
upon  his  nose.  I  could  perceive,  notwith- 
standing he  was  seated,  that  his  stature  bor- 
dered upon  the  gigantic.  "  Who  is  that 
person  ■?"  said  I  to  the  landlord,  whom  I  pre- 
sently met;  "Is  he  also  a  guest  of  yours ]" 
"  Not  exactly,  Don  Jorge  de  mi  alma,"  re- 
plied he.  "  I  can  scarcely  call  him  a  guest, 
inasmuch  as  I  gain  nothing  by  him,  though 
he  is  staying  at  my  house.  You  must  know, 
Don  Jorge,  that  he  is  one  of  two  priests  who 
officiate  at  a  large  village  at  some  slight  dis- 
tance from  this  place.  So  it  came  to  pass, 
that  when  the  soldiors  of  Gomez  entered  the 
village,  his  reverence  went  to  meet  them, 
dressed  in  full  canonicals,  with  a  book  in  his 
hand,  and  he,  at  their  bidding,  proclaimed 
Carlos  Quinto  in  the  market  place.  The 
other  priest,  however,  was  a  desperate  libe- 
ral, a  downright  negro,  and  upon  him  the 
royalists  laid  their  hands,  and  were  proceed- 
ing to  hang  him.  His  reverence,  however, 
interfered,  and  obtained  mercy  for  his  col- 
league, on  condition  that  he  sliould  cry  Viva 
Carlos  Qtiinto  I  which  the  latter  did  in  order 


80 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN 


to  save  his  life.  Well;  no  sooner  had  the 
royalists  departed  from  these  parts  than  the 
black  priest  mounts  his  mnle,  comes  to  Cor- 
dova, and  informs  against  his  reverence,  not- 
withstanding that  he  had  saved  his  life.  So 
his  reverence  was  seized  and  brought  hither 
to  Cordova,  and  would  assuredly  have  been 
thrown  into  the  common  prison  as  a  Carlisl, 
had  I  not  stepped  forward  and  offered  to  be 
surety  that  he  should  not  quit  the  place,  but 
should  come  forward  at  any  time  to  answer 
whatever  charge  might  be  brought  against 
him;  and  he  is  now  in  my  house,  though 
guest  I  cannot  call  him,  for  he  is  not  of  the 
slightest  advantage  to  me,  as  his  very  food  is 
daily  brought  from  the  country,  and  that  con- 
sists only  of  a  few  eggs  and  a  little  milk  and 
bread.  As  for  his  money,  I  have  never  seen 
the  colour  of  it,  notwithstanding  they  tell  rae 
that  he  has  buenas  pesetas.  However,  he  is 
a  holy  man,  is  continually  reading  and  pray- 
ing, and  is,  moreover,  of  the  right  opinion.  I 
therefore  keep  him  in  my  house,  and  would 
be  bail  for  him  were  he  twenty  times  more  of 
a  skinflint  than  he  seems  to  be." 

The  next  day,  as  I  was  again  passing 
through  the  corridor,  I  observed  the  old  man  in 
the  same  place,  and  saluted  him.  He  return- 
ed my  salutation  with  much  courtesy,  and 
closing  the  book,  placed  it  upon  his  knee,  as 
if  willing  to  enter  into  conversation.  After 
exchanging  a  word  or  two,  T  took  up  the  book 
for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  it. 

"You  will  hardly  derive  much  instruction 
from  that  book,  Don  Jorge,"  said  the  old  man ; 
"  you  cannot  understand  it,  for  it  is  not  writ- 
ten in  English." 

"  Nor  in  Spanish,"  I  replied.  "  But  with 
respect  to  understanding  the  book,  I  cannot 
see  what  difficulty  there  can  be  in  a  thing  so 
simple;  it  is  only  the  Roman  breviary  written 
in  the  Latin  tongue." 

"Do  the  English  understand  Latin  V  ex- 
claimed he.  "Vaya!  Who  would  have 
thought  that  it  was  possible  for  Lutherans 
to  understand  the  language  of  the  church? 
Vaya  I  the  longer  one  lives  the  more  one 
learns." 

"  How  old  may  your  reverence  be  1"  1  in- 
quired. 

"I  am  eighty  years,  Don  Jorge;  eighty 
years,  and  somewhat  more." 

Such  was  the  first  conversation  which 
passed  between  his  reverence  and  myself. 
He  soon  conceived  no  inconsiderable  liking 
for  me,  and  favoured  me  with  no  little  of  his 
company.  Unlike  our  friend  the  landlord,  I 
found  him  by  no  means  inclined  to  talk  poli- 
tics, which  the  more  surprised  me,  knowing, 
as  I  did,  the  decided  and  hazardous  part  which 
he  had  taken  on  the  late  Carlist  irruption  into 
the  neighbourhood.  He  took,  however,  great 
delight  in  discoursing  on  ecclesiastical  sub- 
jects and  the  writings  of  the  fathers. 

"  I  have  got  a  small  library  at  home,  Don 
Jorge,  which  consists  of  all  the  volumes  of 
the  fathers  which  I  have  been  able  to  pick  up, 
and  1  find  the  perusal  of  them  a  source  of 


great  amusement  and  comfort.  Should  these 
dark  days  pass  by,  Don  Jorge,  and  you  should 
be  in  these  parts,  I  hope  you  will  look  in  upon 
me,  and  I  will  show  you  my  little  library  of 
the  fathers,  and  likewise  my  dovecote,  where 
I  rear  numerous  broods  of  pigeons,  which  are 
also  a  source  of  much  solace  and  at  the  same 
time  of  profit." 

"  I  suppose  by  your  dovecote,"  said  I,  "  you 
mean  your  parish,  and  by  rearing  broods  of 
pigeons,  you  allude  to  the  care  you  take  of  the 
souls  of  your  people,  instilling  therein  the 
fear  of  God  and  obedience  to  his  revealed 
law,  which  occupation  must  of  course  afford 
you  much  solace  and  spiritual  profit." 

"  I  was  not  speaking  metaphorically,  Don 
Jorge," replied  my  companion;  "  and  by  rear- 
ing doves,  I  mean  neither  more  nor  less  than 
that  I  supply  the  market  of  Cordova  with  pi- 
geons, and  occasionally  that  of  Seville;  for 
my  birds  are  very  celebrated,  and  plumper  or 
fatter  flesh  than  theirs  I  believe  cannot  be 
found  in  the  whole  kingdom.  Should  you 
come  to  my  village,  you  will  doubtless  taste 
them,  Don  Jorge,  at  the  venta  where  you  will 
put  up,  for  I  suffer  no  dovecotes  but  my  own 
within  my  district.  With  respect  to  the  souls 
of  my  parishioners,  I  trust  I  do  my  duty — I 
trust  I  do,  as  far  as  in  my  power  lies.  I  al- 
ways took  great  pleasure  in  these  spiritual 
matters,  and  it  was  on  that  account  that  I  at- 
tached myself  to  the  Santa  Casa  of  Cordova, 
the  duties  of  which  I  assisted  to  perform  for  a 
long  period." 

"  Your  reverence  has  been  an  inquisitor]  " 
I  exclaimed,  somewhat  startled. 

"  From  my  thirtieth  year  until  the  time  of 
the  suppression  of  the  holy  ofiice  in  these  af- 
flicted kingdoms." 

"  You  both  surprise  and  delight  me,"  I  ex- 
claimed. "Nothing  could  have  afforded  me 
greater  pleasure  than  to  find  myself  conversing 
with  a  father  formerly  attached  to  the  holy 
house  of  Cordova." 

The  old  man  looked  at  me  steadfastly;  "I 
understand  you,  Don  George.  I  have  long 
seen  that  you  are  one  of  us.  You  are  a  learn- 
ed and  holy  man;  and  though  you  think  fit  to 
call  yourself  a  Lutheran  and  an  Englishman, 
I  have  dived  into  your  real  condition.  No 
Lutheran  would  take  the  interest  in  church 
matters  which  you  do,  and  with  respect  to 
your  being  an  i^nglishman,  none  of  that  na- 
tion can  speak  Castilian,  much  less  Latin.  I 
believe  you  to  be  one  of  us — a  missionary 
priest,  and  I  am  especially  confirmed  in  that 
idea  by  your  frequent  conversations  and  inter- 
views with  the  Gitanos:  you  appear  to  be 
labouring  among  them.  Be,  however,  on  your 
guard,  Don  Jorge,  trust  not  to  Egyptian  faith  ; 
they  are  evil  penitents,  whom  I  like  not.  I 
would  not  advise  you  to  trust  them." 

"I  do  not  intend,"  I  replied;  "especially 
with  money.  But  to  return  to  more  important 
matters:— of  what  crimes  did  this  holy  house 
of  Cordova  take  cognizance]" 

"  You  are  of  course  aware  of  the  matters  on 
which  the  holy  office  exercises  its  functions. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


81 


I  need  scarcely  mention  sorcery,  Judaism,  and 
sertain  carnal  misdemeanours." 

"  With  respect  to  sorcery,"  said  f,  "  what 
is  your  opinion  of  it?  Is  there  in  reality  such 
a  crime  ] " 

"  Que  se  to?"  said  the  old  man  shrugginor 
up  his  shoulders.  "How  should  I  know? 
The  church  has  power,  Don  Jorge,  or  at  least 
it  had  power  to  punish  for  any  thing  real  or 
unreal ;  and  as  it  was  necessary  to  punish  in 
order  to  prove  that  it  had  tlie  power  of  pun- 
ishing-, of  what  consequence,  whether  it  pun- 
ished for  sorcery  or  any  other  crime." 

"  Did  many  cases  of  sorcery  occur  within 
your  own  sphere  of  knowledge?  " 

"  One  or  two,  Don  Jorge:  they  were  by  no 
means  frequent.  The  last  that  I  remember, 
was  a  case  which  occurred  in  a  convent  at 
Seville :  a  certain  nun  was  in  the  habit  of  fly- 
ing through  the  windows  and  about  the  garden 
over  the  tops  of  the  orange  trees ;  declarations 
of  various  witnesses  were  taken,  and  the  pro- 
cess was  arranged  with  much  formality  :  the 
fact,  I  believe,  was  satisfactorily  proved  :  of 
one  thing  I  am  certain,  that  the  nun  was  pun- 
ished." 

"  Were  you  troubled  with  much  Judaism  in 
these  parts  ?  " 

"  VVooh !  Nothing  gave  so  much  trouble  to 
the  Santa  Casa  as  this  same  Judaism.  Its 
shoots  and  ramnifications  are  numerous,  not 
only  in  these  parts  but  in  all  Spain;  and  it 
is  singular  enough,  that,  even  among  the 
priesthood,  instances  of  Judaism  of  both 
kinds  were  continually  coming  to  our  know- 
ledge, which  it  was  of  course  our  duty  to 
punish." 

"  Is  there  more  than  one  species  of  Juda- 
ism? "  I  demanded. 

"  I  have  always  arranged  Judaism  under 
two  heads,"  said  the  old  man,  "  the  black 
and  the  white :  by  the  black,  I  mean  the  ob- 
servance of  the  law  of  Moses  in  preference  to 
the  precepts  of  the  church ;  then  there  is  the 
white  Judaism,  which  includes  all  kinds  of 
heresy,  such  as  Lutherisra,  freemasonry,  and 
the  like." 

"  I  can  easily  conceive,"  said  I,  "  that  many 
of  the  priesthood  favoured  the  principles  of 
the  reformation,  and  that  the  minds  of  not  a 
few  had  been  led  astray  by  the  deceitful  lights 
of  modern  philosophy,  but  it  is  almost  incon- 
ceivable to  me  that  there  should  be  Jews 
amongst  the  priesthood  who  follow  in  secret 
the  rit  js  and  observances  of  the  old  law,  though 
I  confess  that  I  have  been  assured  of  the  fact 
ere  now." 

*'  Plenty  of  Judaism  amongst  the  priest- 
hood, whether  of  the  black  or  white  species; 
no  lack  of  it,  I  assure  you,  Don  Jorge;  I  re- 
member once  searching  the  house  of  an  eccle- 
siastic who  was  accused  of  the  black  Judaism, 
and  after  much  investigation,  we  discovered 
beneath  the  floor  a  wooden  chest,  in  which 
was  a  small  shrine  of  silver,  enclosing  three 
books  in  black  hogskin,  which  on  being 
opened,  were  found  to  be  books  of  Jewish  de- 
votion, written  in  Hebrew  characters,  and  of 

11 


great  antiquity;  and  on  being  questioned,  the 
culprit  made  no  secret  of  his  guilt,  but  rather 
gloried  in  it,  saying  that  there  was  no  God 
but  one,  and  denouncing  the  adoration  of  Maria 
Santissima  as  rank  idolatry." 

"  And,  between  ourselves,  what  is  your 
own  opinion  of  the  adoration  of  this  same 
Maria  Santissima?" 

"What  is  my  opinion!  Que  se  to?"  said 
the  old  man,  shrugging  up  his  shoulders  still 
higher  than  on  the  former  occasion ;  "but  I 
will  tell  you  :  I  think,  on  consideration,  that 
it  is  quite  right  and  proper;  why  not?  Let 
any  one  pay  a  visit  to  my  church,  and  look  at 
her  as  she  stands  there,  tan  bnnita,  tan  guapi- 
ta — so  well  dressed  and  so  genteel — with  such 
pretty  colours,  such  red  and  white,  and  he 
would  scarcely  ask  me  why  Maria  Santissima 
should  not  be  adored.  Moreover,  Don  Jorgito 
mio,  this  is  a  church  matter  and  forms  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  church  system." 

"And  now,  with  respect  to  carnal  misde- 
meanours. Did  you  take  much  cognizance 
of  them?" 

"  Amongst  the  laity,  not  much ;  we,  how- 
ever, kept  a  vigilant  eye  upon  our  own  body, 
but,  upon  the  whole,  were  rather  tolerant  in 
these  matters,  knowing  that  the  infirmities  of 
human  nature  are  very  great  indeed  :  we  rare- 
ly punished,  save  in  cases  where  the  glory  of 
the  church  and  loyalty  to  Maria  Santissima 
made  punishment  absolutely  imperative." 

"And  what  cases  might  those  be?"  I  de- 
manded. 

"I  allude  to  the  desecration  of  dovecotes, 
Don  Jorge,  and  the  introduction  therein  of 
strange  flesh,  for  purposes  neither  seemly  nor 
convenient." 

"Your  reverence  will  excuse  me  for  not 
yet  perfectly  understanding." 

"  I  mean,  Don  Jorge,  certain  acts  of  flagi- 
tiousness  practised  by  the  clergy  in  lone  and 
remote  palomares  {dovecotes)  in  olive  grounds 
and  gardens;  actions  denounced,  I  believe, 
by  the  holy  Pablo  in  his  first  letter  to  Pope 
Sixtus.*  You  understand  me  now,  Don 
Jorge,  for  you  are  learned  in  church  matters." 

"I  think  I  understand  you,"  I  replied. 

After  remaining  several  days  more  at  Cor- 
dova, I  determined  to  proceed  on  my  journey 
to  Madrid,  though  the  roads  were  still  said 
to  be  highly  insecure.  I,  however,  saw  hut 
little  utility  in  tarrying  and  awaiting  a  more 
tranquil  state  of  affairs,  which  might  never 
arrive.  I  therefore  consulted  with  the  land- 
lord respecting  the  best  means  of  making 
the  journey.  "Don  Jorgito,"  he  replied, 
"  I  think  I  can  tell  you.  You  say  you  are 
anxious  to  depart,  and  I  never  wish  to  keep 
guests  in  my  house  longer  than  is  agreeable 
to  them ;  to  do  so,  would  not  become  a 
Christian  innkeeper:  I  leave  such  conduct 
to  Moors,  Christinos,  and  Negros.  I  will 
further  you  on  your  journey,  Don  Jorge:  I 
have  a  plan  in  my  head,  which  I  had  resolved 
to  propose  to  you  before  you  questioned  me. 

*Qu.  The  Epistle  to  the  Romans. 


■-\ 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


Tliere  is  my  wife's  brother,  who  has  two , 
horses  which  he  occasionally  lets  out  for , 
hire;  you  shall  hire  them,  Don  Jorge,  and  he 
himself  shall  attend  you  to  take  care  of  yon, 
and  to  comfort  you,  and  to  talk  to  you,  and 
you  shall  pay  him  forty  dollars  for  the  jour- 
ney. Moreover,  as  there  are  thieves  upon  the 
route,  and  malos  sujefos,  such  as  Palillos  and 
his  family,  you  shall  make  an  engagement 
and  a  covenant,  Don  Jorge,  that  provided  you 
are  robbed  and  stripped  on  the  route,  and  the 
horses  of  my  wife's  brother  are  taken  from 
him  by  the  thieves,  you  shall,  on  arriving  at 
Madrid,  make  good  any  losses  to  which  my 
wife's  brother  may  be  subject  in  following 
you.  This  is  my  plan,  Don  Jorge,  which  no 
doubt  will  meet  with  your  worship's  appro- 
bation, as  it  is  devised  solely  for  your  benefit, 


and  not  with  any  view  of  lucre  or  interest 
either  to  me  or  mine.  You  will  find  my 
wife's  brother  pleasant  company  on  the 
route :  he  is  a  very  respectable  man,  and 
one  of  the  right  opinion,  and  has  likewise 
travelled  much;  for  between  ourselves,  Don 
Jorge,  he  is  something  of  a  Contrabandista, 
and  frequently  smuggles  diamonds  and  pre- 
cious stones  from  Portugal,  which  he  disposes 
of  sometimes  in  Cordova  and  sometimes  at 
Madrid.  He  is  acquainted  with  all  the  short 
cuts,  all  the  atajos,  Don  Jorge,  and  is  much 
respected  in  all  the  ventas  and  jiosadas  on 
the  way ;  so  now  give  me  your  hand  upon 
the  bargain,  and  I  will  forthwith  repair  to 
my  wife's  brother  to  tell  him  to  get  ready 
to  set  out  with  your  worship  the  day  after 
to-morrow." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Departure  from  Cordova — The  Contrabandista— Jewish  Canning — Arrival  at  Madrid. 


One  fine  morning,  I  departed  from  Cordova, 
in  company  with  the  Contrabandista;  the 
latter  was  mounted  on  a  handsome  animal, 
something  between  a  horse  and  a  pony,  which 
be  called  a  jaca,  of  that  breed  for  which  Cor- 
dova is  celebrated.  It  was  of  a  bright  bay 
colour,  with  a  star  in  its  forehead,  with  strong 
but  elegant  limbs,  and  a  long  black  tail,  which 
swept  the  ground.  The  other  animal,  which 
was  destined  to  carry  me  to  Madrid,  was  not 
quite  so  prepossessing  in  its  appearance  :  in 
more  than  one  respect  it  closely  resembled  a 
hog,  particularly  in  the  curving  of  its  back, 
the  shortness  of  its  neck,  and  the  manner  in 
which  it  kept  its  head  nearly  in  contact  with 
the  ground  :  it  had  also  the  tail  of  a  hog,  and 
meandered  over  the  ground  much  like  one. 
Its  coat  more  resembled  coarse  bristles  than 
hair,  and  with  respect  to  size,  I  have  seen 
many  a  Westphalian  hog  quite  as  tall.  I  was 
not  altogether  satisfied  with  the  idea  of  exhib- 
iting myself  on  the  back  of  this  most  extraor- 
dinary quadruped,  and  looked  wistfully  on  the 
respectable  animal  on  which  my  guide  had 
thought  proper  to  place  himself;  he  interpret- 
ed my  glances,  and  gave  me  to  understand 
that  as  he  was  destined  to  carry  the  baggage, 
he  was  entitled  to  the  best  horse;  a  plea  too 
well  grounded  on  reason  for  me  to  make  any 
objection  to  it. 

I  found  the  Contrabandista  by  no  means 
such  pleasant  company  on  the  road  as  I  had 
been  led  to  suppose  he  would  prove  from  the 
representation  of   my  host    at    Cordova. — 


Throughout  the  day  he  sat  sullen  and  silent, 
and  rarely  replied  to  my  questions,  save  by  a 
monosyllable;  at  night,  however,  after  having 
eaten  well  and  drank  proportionably  at  my  ex- 
pense, he  would  occasionally  become  more 
sociable  and  communicative.  "I  have  given 
up  smuggling,"  said  he,  on  one  of  these  occa- 
sions, »^  owing  to  a  trick  which  was  played 
upon  me  the  last  time  that  I  was  at  Lisbon : 
a  Jew  whom  I  had  been  long  acquainted  with 
palmed  upon  me  a  false  brilliant  for  a  real 
stone.  He  effected  it  in  the  most  extraordina- 
ry manner,  for  I  am  not  such  a  novice  as  not 
to  know  a  true  diamond  when  I  see  one;  but 
the  Jew  appears  to  have  had  two,  with  which 
he  played  most  adroitly,  keeping  the  valuable 
one  for  which  I  bargained,  and  substituting 
therefor  another  which,  though  an  excellent 
imitation,  was  not  worth  four  dollars.  I  did  not 
discover  the  trick  until  I  was  across  the  bor- 
der, and  upon  my  hurrying  back,  the  culprit 
was  not  to  be  found  ;  his  priest,  however,  told 
me  that  he  was  just  dead  and  buried,  which 
was  of  course  false,  as  I  saw  him  laughing  in 
the  corners  of  his  eyes.  I  renounced  the  con- 
traband trade  from  that  moment." 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  describe  minutely 
the  various  incidents  of  this  journey.  Leaving 
at  our  right  the  mountains  of  Jaen,  we  passed 
through  Andujar  and  Bailen,  and  on  the  third 
day  reached  Carolina,  a  small  but  beautiful 
town  on  the  skirts  of  the  Sierra  Morena,  in- 
habited by  the  descendants  of  German  colo- 
nists.    Two   leagues   from    this  place,   we 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


6S 


entered  the  defile  of  Daspena  Perros,  which, 
even  in  quiet  times  has  an  evil  name,  on  ac- 
count of  the  robberies  which  are  continually 
being  perpetrated  within  its  recesses,  but  at 
the  period  of  which  I  am  speaking,  it  was 
said  to  be  swarming  with  banditti.  We  of 
course  expected  to  be  robbed,  perhaps  stripped 
and  otherwise  ill  treated ;  but  Providence 
here  manifested  itself.  It  appeared  that,  the 
day  before  our  arrival,  the  badditti  of  the  pass 
had  committed  a  dreadful  robbery  and  murder, 
by  which  they  gained  forty  thousand  rials. 
This  booty  jirobably  contented  them  for  a 
time;  certain  it  is  that  we  were  not  interrupt- 
ed:  we  did  not  even  see  a  single  individual 
in  the  pass,  though  we  occasionally  heard 
whistles  and  loud  cries.  We  entered  La 
Mancha,  where  I  expected  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  Palillos  and  Orejita.  Providence 
again  showed  itself.  It  had  been  delicious 
weather,  suddenly  the  Lord  breathed  forth  a 
frozen  blast,  the  severity  of  which  was  almost 
intolerable:  no  human  being  but  ourselves 
ventured  forth.  We  traversed  snow-covered 
plains,  and  passed  through  villages  and  towns 
to  all  appearance  deserted.  The  robbers  kept 
close  in  their  caves  and  hovels,  but  the  cold 
nearly  killed  us.  We  reached  Aranjuez  late 
on  Christmas  Day,  and  I  got  into  the  house  of 
Jm  Englishman,  where  I  swallowed  nearly  a 
pint  of  brandy :  it  affected  me  no  more  than 
warm  water. 

On  the  following  day  we  arrived  at  Madrid, 
where  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  every 
thing  tranquil  and  quiet.    The  Contrabandista 


continued  with  me  for  two  days,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  relumed  to  Cordova  upon  the 
uncouth  animal  on  which  I  had  ridden 
throughout  the  journey.  I  had  myself  pur- 
chased the  jaca,  whose  capabilities  1  had  seen 
on  the  route,  and  which  I  imagined  might 
prove  useful  in  future  journeys.  The  Con- 
trabandista was  so  satisfied  with  the  price 
which  I  gave  him  for  his  beast,  and  the  gen- 
eral treatment  which  he  had  experienced  at 
my  hands  during  the  time  of  his  attendance 
upon  me,  that  he  would  fain  have  persuaded 
me  to  retain  him  as  a  servant,  assuring  me 
that,  in  the  event  of  my  compliance,  he  would 
forget  his  wife  and  children  and  follow  rae 
through  the  world.  I  declined,  however,  to 
accede  to  his  request,  though  I  was  in  need 
of  a  domestic;  I  therefore  sent  him  back  to 
Cordova,  where,  as  I  subsequently  learned, 
he  died  suddenly,  about  a  week  after  his  return. 
The  manner  of  his  death  was  singular :  one 
day  he  took  out  his  purse,  and,  after  counting 
his  money,  said  to  his  wife,  "I  have  made 
ninety-five  dollars  by  this  journey  with  the 
Englishman  and  by  the  sale  of  the  jaca;  this 
I  could  easily  double  by  one  successful  ven- 
ture in  the  smuggling  lay.  To-morrow  I  will 
depart  for  Lisbon  to  buy  diamonds.  I  won- 
der if  the  beast  requires  to  be  shod?"  He 
then  started  up  and  made  for  the  door  with 
the  intention  of  going  to  the  stable  ;  ere,  how- 
ever, his  foot  had  crossed  the  threshold,  he 
fell  dead  on  the  floor.  Such  is  the  course  of 
the  world.  Well  said  the  wise  king:  Let 
no  one  boast  of  the  morrow. 


84 


THE  BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Arrival  at  Madrid — Maria  Diaz — Printing  of  the  Testament — My  Project — Andalusian  Steed- 
Servant  wanted — An  Application — Antonio  Buchini — General  Cordova — Principles  of  Honour. 


On  my  arrival  at  Madrid  I  did  not  repair  to 
my  former  lodgings  in  the  Calls  de  la  Zarza, 
but  took  others  in  the  Calle  de  Santiago,  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  palace.  The  name  of 
the  hostess  (for  there  was,  properly  speaking, 
no  host)  was  Maria  Diaz,  of  whom  I  shall 
take  the  present  opportunity  of  saying  some- 
thing in  particular. 

She  was  a  woman  of  aboutthirty-fiveyearsof 
age,  rather  good  looking,  and  with  a  physiog- 
nomy every  lineament  of  which  bespoke  in- 
telligence of  no  common  order.  Her  eyes 
were  keen  and  penetrating,  though  occasion- 
ally clouded  with  a  somewhat  melancholy 
expression.  There  was  a  particular  calmness 
and  quiet  in  her  general  demeanour,  beneath 
which,  however,  slumbered  a  firmness  of 
spirit  and  an  energy  of  action  which  were 
instantly  displayed  whenever  necessary.  A 
Spaniard  and,  of  course,  a  Catholic,  she  was 
possessed  of  a  spirit  of  toleration  and  liberality 
which  would  have  done  honour  to  individuals 
much  her  superior  in  station.  In  this  woman, 
during  the  remainder  of  my  sojourn  in  Spain, 
I  found  a  firm  and  constant  friend,  and  occa- 
sionally a  most  discreet  adviser:  she  entered 
into  all  my  plans,  1  will  not  say  with  enthu- 
siasm, which,  indeed,  formed  no  part  of  her 
character,  but  with  cordiality  and  sincerity, 
forwarding  them  to  the  utmost  of  her  ability. 
She  never  shrank  from  me  in  the  hour  of  dan- 
ger and  persecution,  but  stood  my  friend,  not- 
withstanding the  many  inducements  which 
were  held  out  to  her  by  my  enemies  to  desert 
or  betray  me.  Her  motives  were  of  the  no- 
blest kind,  friendship  and  a  proper  feeling  of 
the  duties  of  hospitality;  no  prospect,  no 
hope  of  self  interest,  however  remote,  influ- 
enced this  admirable  woman  in  her  conduct 
towards  me.  Honour  to  Maria  Diaz,  the 
quiet,  dauntless,  clever  Castilian  female.  I 
were  an  ingrate  not  to  speak  well  of  her,  for 
richly  has  she  deserved  an  eulogy  in  the  hum- 
ble pages  of  "  The  Bible  in  Spain." 

She  was  a  native  of  Villa  Seca,  a  hamlet 
of  new  Castile,  situated  in  what  is  called  the 
Sagra,  at  about  three  leagues  distance  from 
Toledo;  her  father  was  an  architect  of  some 
celebrity,  particularly  skilled  in  erecting 
bridges.  At  a  very  early  age  she  married  a 
respectable  labrador  of  Villa  Seca,  Lopez  by 
name,  by  whom  she  had  three  sons.  On  the 
death  of  her  father,  which  occurred  about  five 
years  previous  to  the  time  of  which  I  am 
speaking,  she  removed  to  Madrid,  partly  for 
the  purpose  of  educating  her  children,  and 
partly  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  from  the  go- 
vernmeat  a  considerable  sum  of  money  for 


which  it  stood  indebted  to  her  father  at  the 
time  of  his  decease,  for  various  useful  and 
ornaniental  works,  principally  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Aranjuez.  The  justness  of  her 
claim  was  at  once  acknowledged;  but,  alas! 
no  money  was  forthcoming,  the  royal  treasury 
being  empty.  Her  hopes  of  earthly  happi- 
ness were  now  concentrated  in  her  children. 
The  two  youngest  were  still  of  a  very  tender 
age ;  but  the  eldest,  Juan  Jose  Lopez,  a  lad 
of  about  sixteen,  was  bidding  fair  to  realize 
the  warmest  hopes  of  his  affectionate  mother : 
he  had  devoted  himself  to  the  arts,  in  which 
he  had  made  such  progress  that  he  had  al- 
ready become  the  favourite  pupil  of  his  cele- 
brated namesake  Lopez,  the  best  painter  of 
modern  Spain.  Such  was  Maria  Diaz,  who, 
according  to  a  custom  formerly  universal  in 
Spain,  and  still  very  prevalent,  retained  the 
name  of  her  maidenhood  'though  married. 
Such  was  Maria  Diaz  and  her  family. 

One  of  my  first  cares  was  to  wait  on  Mr. 
Villiers,  who  received  me  with  his  usual  kind- 
ness. I  asked  him  whether  he  considered 
that  I  might  venture  to  commence  printing 
the  Scriptures  without  any  more  applications 
to  government.  His  reply  was  satisfactory  : 
"  You  obtained  the  permission  of  the  govern- 
ment of  Isturitz,"  said  he,  "which  was  a 
much  less  liberal  one  than  the  present.  I  am  a 
witness  to  the  promise  made  to  you  by  the 
former  ministers,  which  I  consider  suffi- 
cient. You  had  best  commence  and  com- 
plete the  work  as  soon  as  possible,  without 
any  fresh  application;  and  should  any  one 
attempt  to  interrupt  you,  you  have  only  to 
come  to  me,  whom  you  may  command  at  any 
time."  So  I  went  away  with  a  light  heart, 
and  forthwith  made  preparation  for  the  exe- 
cution of  the  object  wjiich  had  brought  me  to 
Spain. 

I  shall  not  enter  here  into  unnecessary  de- 
tails, which  could  possess  but  little  interest 
for  the  reader ;  suffice  it  to  say  that,  within 
three  months  from  this  time,  an  edition  of  the 
New  Testament,  consisting  of  five  thousand 
copies,  was  published  at  Madrid.  The  work 
was  printed  at  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Bor- 
rego,  a  well  known  writer  on  political  econo- 
my, and  proprietor  and  editor  of  an  influential 
newspaper,  called  El  Espanol.  To  this 
gentleman  I  had  been  recommended  by  Isturitz 
himself,  on  the  day  of  my  interview  with 
him.  That  unfortunate  minister  had,  indeed, 
the  highest  esteem  for  Borrego,  and  had  in- 
tended raising  him  to  the  station  of  minister 
of  finance,  when  the  revolution  of  the  Granja 
occurring,  of  course   rendered  abortive  this 


THE   BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


85 


project,  with  perhaps  many  others  of  a  similar 
kind  which  he  might  have  formed. 

The  Spanish  version  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment which  was  thus  published,  had  been 
made  many  years  before  by  a  certain  Padre 
Filipe  Scio,  confessor  of  Ferdinand  the  Se- 
venth and  had  even  been  printed,  but  so  en- 
cumbered by  notes  and  commentaries  as  to  be 
unfitted  for  general  circulation,  for  which, 
indeed,  it  was  never  intended.  In  the  present 
edition,  the  notes  were  of  course  omitted,  and 
the  inspired  word,  and  that  alone,  offered  to 
the  public.  It  was  brought  out  in  a  hand- 
some octavo  volume,  and  presented,  upon  the 
whole,  a  rather  favourable  specimen  of  Spa- 
nish typography. 

The  mere  printing,  however,  of  the  New 
Testament    at    Madrid    could    be     attended 
with   no   utility  whatever,   unless  measures, 
and  energetic  ones,  were  taken  for  the  circu 
lation  of  the  sacred  volume. 

In  the  case  of  the  New  Testament,  it 
would  not  do  to  follow  the  usual  plan  of  pub- 
lication in  Spain,  namely,  to  entrust  the 
work  to  the  booksellers  of  the  capital,  and 
rest  content  with  the  sale  which  they  and 
their  agents  in  the  provincial  towns  might  be 
able  to  obtain  for  it,  in  the  common  routine  of 
business;  the  result  generally  being,  the  cir- 
culation of  a  few  dozen  copies  in  the  course 
of  the  year ;  as  the  demand  for  literature  of 
every  kind  in  Spain  was  miserably  small. 

The  Christians  of  England  had  already 
made  considerable  sacrifices,  in  the  hope  of 
disseminating  the  word  of  God  largely 
amongst  the  Spaniards,  and  it  was  now  ne- 
cessary to  spare  no  exertion  to  prevent  that 
hope  becoming  abortive.  Before  the  book  was 
ready,  I  had  begun  to  make  preparations  for  put- 
ting a  plan  into  execution,  which  had  occupied 
my  thoughts  occasionally  during  my  former 
visit  to  Spain,  and  which  I  had  never  subse- 
quently abandoned.  I  had  mused  on  it  when 
off  Cape  Finisterre  in  the  tempest;  in  the 
cut-throat  passes  of  the  Morena ;  and  on  the 
the  plains  of  La  Mancha,  as  I  jogged  along 
a  little  way  ahead  of  the  Contrabandista. 

I  had  determined,  after  depositing  a  certain 
number  of  copies  in  the  shops  of  the  book- 
sellers of  Madrid,  to  ride  forth,  Testament  in 
hand,  and  endeavour  to  circulate  the  word  of 
God  amongst  the  Spaniards,  not  only  of  the 
towns  but  of  the  villages  ;  amongst  the  chil- 
dren not  only  of  the  plains  but  of  the  hills 
and  mountains.  I  intended  to  visit  Old 
Castile,  and  to  traverse  the  whole  of  Galicia 
and  the  Asturias, — to  establish  Scripture 
depots  in  the  principal  towns,  and  to  visit  the 
people  in  secret  and  secluded  spots, — to  talk 
to  them  of  Christ,  to  explain  to  them  the 
nature  of  his  book,  and  to  place  that  book  in 
the  hands  of  those  whom  I  should  deem  capa- 
ble of  deriving  benefit  from  it.  I  was  aware 
that  such  a  journey  would  be  attended  with 
considerable  danger,  and  very  possibly  the 
fate  of  St.  Stephen  might  overtake  me;  but 
does  the  man  deserve  the  name  of  a  follower 
of  Christ  who  would  shrink  from  danger  of 
any  kind  in  the  cause  of  Him  whom  he  calls 


his  Master?  "  He  who  loses  his  life  for  my 
sake,  shall  find  it,"  are  words  which  the 
Lord  himself  uttered.  These  words  were 
fraught  with  consolation  to  me, as  they  doubt- 
less are  to  every  one  engaged  in  propagating 
the  gospel  in  sincerity  of  heart,  in  savage 
and  barbarian  lands 


I  now  purchased  another  horse;  for  these 
animals,  at  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking, 
were  exceedingly  cheap.  A  royal  requisition 
was  about  to  be  issued  for  five  thousand,  the 
consequence  being,  that  an  immense  number 
were  for  sale,  for,  by  virtue  of  this  requisition, 
the  horses  of  any  person  not  a  foreigner  could 
be  seized  for  the  benefit  of  the  service.  It 
was  probable  that,  when  the  number  was 
made  up,  the  price  of  horses  would  be  treble 
what  it  then  was,  which  consideration  in- 
duced me  to  purchase  this  animal  before  I 
exactly  wanted  him.  He  was  a  black  An- 
dalusian  stallion  of  great  power  and  strength, 
and  capable  of  performing  a  journey  of  a  hun- 
dred leagues  in  a  week's  time,  but  he  was 
unbroke,  savage,  and  furious.  A  cargo  of 
Bibles,  however,  which  I  hoped  occasionally 
to  put  on  his  back,  would,  I  had  no  doubt, 
thoroughly  tame  him,  especially  when  labour- 
ing up  the  flinty  hills  of  the  north  of  Spain.  I 
wished  to  have  purchased  a  mule,  but,  though 
I  offered  thirty  pounds  for  a  sorry  one,  I 
could  not  obtain  her;  whereas  the  cost  of  both 
the  horses,  tall,  powerful,  stately  animals, 
scarcely  amounted  to  that  sum. 

The  state  of  the  surrounding  country  at  this 
time  was  not  very  favourable  for  venturing 
forth :  Cabrera  was  within  nine  leagues  of 
Madrid,  with  an  army  nearly  ten  thousand 
strong;  he  had  beaten  several  small  detach- 
ments of  the  queen's  troops,  and  had  ravaged 
La  Mancha  with  fire  and  sword,  burning 
several  towns;  bands  of  affrighted  fugitives 
were  arriving  every  hour,  bringing  tidings  of 
woe  and  disaster,  and  I  was  only  surprised 
that  the  enemy  did  not  appear,  and  by  taking 
Madrid,  which  was  almost  at  his  mercy,  put 
an  end  to  the  war  at  once.  But  the  truth  is, 
that  the  Carlist  generals  did  not  wish  the  war 
to  cease,  for  as  Jong  as  the  country  was  in- 
volved in  bloodshed  and  anarchy,  they  could 
plunder  and  exercise  that  lawless  authority  so 
dear  to  men  of  fierce  and  brutal  passions. 
Cabrera,  moreover,  was  a  dastardly  wretch, 
whose  limited  mind  was  incapable  of  harbour- 
ing a  single  conception  approaching  to  gran- 
deur; whose  heroic  deeds  were  confined  to 
cutting  down  defenceless  men,  and  to  forcing 
and  disembowelling  unhappy  women ;  and 
yet  I  have  seen  this  wretched  fellow  termed 
by  French  journals  (Carlist  of  course)  the 
young,  the  heroic  general.  Infamy  on  the 
cowardly  assassin !  The  shabbiest  corporal 
of  Napoleon  would  have  laughed  at  his  gene- 
ralship, and  half  a  battalion  of  Austrian  grena- 
diers would  have  driven  him  and  his  rabble 
army  headlong  into  the  Ebro. 

I  now  made  preparations  for  my  journey 
into  the  north.     I  was  already  provided  with 
horses  well  calculated  to  support  the  fatigues 
H 


86 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


of  the  road  and  the  burden?  which  I  miwht 
deem  necessary  to  impose  upon  them.  One 
thing,  however,  was  still  lacking,  indispensa- 
ble to  a  person  about  to  engage  on  an  expedi- 
tion of  this  description;  I  mean  a  servant  to 
attend  me.  Perhaps  there  is  no  place  in  the 
world  where  servants  more  abound  than  at 
Madrid,  or  at  least  fellows  eager  to  proffer 
their  services  in  the  expectation  of  receiving 
food  and  wages,  though  with  respect  to  the 
actual  service  which  they  are  capable  of  per- 
forming, not  much  can  be  said;  but  I  was  in 
want  of  a  servant  of  no  common  description,  a 
shrewd  aclive  fellow  of  whose  advice,  in  cases 
of  emergency,  I  could  occasionally  avail  my- 
self; courageous  withal,  for  it  certainly  re- 
quired some  degree  of  courage  to  follow  a 
master  bent  on  exploring  the  greater  part  of 
Spain,  and  who  intended  to  travel,  not  under 
the  protection  of  muleteers  and  carmen,  but  on 
his  own  cabalgaduras.  Such  a  servant,  per- 
haps, I  might  have  sought  for  years  without 
finding;  chance,  however,  brought  one  to  my 
hand  at  the  very  time  I  wanted  him,  without 
it  being  necessary  for  me  to  make  any  labori- 
ous perquisitions.  I  was  one  day  mentioning 
the  subject  to  Mr.  Borrego,  at  whose  estab- 
lishment I  had  printed  the  New  Testament, 
and  enquiring  whether  he  thought  that  such 
an  individual  was  to  be  found  in  Madrid,  add- 
ing that  I  was  particularly  anxious  to  obtain  a 
servant  who,  besides  Spanish,  could  speak 
some  other  language,  that  occasionally  we 
might  discourse  without  being  understood  by 
those  who  might  overhear  us,  "  The  very 
description  of  person,"  he  replied,  "  that  you 
appear  to  be  in  need  of,  quitted  me  about  half 
an  hour  ago,  and,  it  is  singular  enough,  came 
to  me  in  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  re- 
commend him  to  a  master.  He  has  been 
twice  in  my  service:  for  his  talent  and  cour- 
age I  will  answer;  and  I  believe  him  to  be 
trustworthy,  at  least  to  masters  who  may 
chime  in  with  his  humour,  for  I  must  inform 
you  that  he  is  a  most  extraordinary  fellow,  full 
of  strange  likes  and  antipathies,  which  he  will 
gratify  at  any  expense,  either  to  himself  or 
others.  Perhaps  he  will  attach  himself  to 
you,  in  which  case  you  will  find  him  highly 
valuable :  for  if  he  please  he  can  turn  his  hand 
to  any  thing,  and  is  not  only  acquainted  with 
two  but  half  a  dozen  languages." 

"  Is  he  a  Spaniard  ?"  I  enquired. 

"  I  will  send  him  to  you  to-morrow,"  said 
Borrego,  "you  will  best  learn  from  his  own 
mouth  who  and  what  he  is." 

The  next  day,  as  I  had  just  sat  down  to  my 
"sopa,"  my  hostess  informed  me  that  a  man 
wished  to  speak  to  me.  Admit  him,  said  I, 
and  he  almost  instantly  made  his  appearance. 
He  was  dressed  respectably  in  the  French 
fashion,  and  had  rather  a  juvenile  look,  though 
I  subsequently  learned  that  he  was  considera- 
bly above  forty.  He  was  somewhat  above 
the  middle  stature,  and  might  have  been  called 
well  made  had  it  not  been  for  his  meagreness, 
which  was  rather  remarkable.  His  arms  were 
long  and  bony,  and  his  whole  form  conveyed 
tfua  idea  of  great  activity  uoited  with  qo  slight 


degree  of  strength  :  his  hair  was  wiry,  but  uf 
jetty  blackness;  his  forehead  low;  his  eyes 
small  and  grey,  expressive  of  much  subtlety 
and  no  less  malice,  strangely  relieved  by  a 
strong  dash  of  humour;  the  nose  was  hand- 
some, but  the  mouth  was  immensely  wide, 
and  his  under  jaw  projected  considerably.  A 
more  singular  physiognomy  1  had  never  seen, 
and  I  continued  staring  at  him  for  some  time 
in  silence.  "Who  are  you]"  1  at  last  de- 
manded. 

"  Domestic  in  search  of  a  master,"  answered 
the  man  in  good  French,  but  in  a  strange  ac- 
cent. "  I  come  recommended  to  you,  mi  Lor, 
by  Monsieur  B." 

Myself. — Of  what  nation  may  you  be  ]  Are 
you  French  or  Spanish  ! 

Man — God  forbid  that  I  should  be  either, 
mi  Lor,  fai  Vhonneur  d'etre  de  la  nation 
Grecque,  my  name  is  AntoniaBuchini,  native 
of  Pera  the  Belle  near  to  Constantinople. 

Myself. — And  what  brought  you  to  Spain? 

Buchini. — Mi  Lor,je  vais  vous  raconter  man 
histoire du  commencement  jusqii'  ici : — my  father 
was  a  native  of  Sceira  in  Greece,  from  whence 
at  an  early  age  he  repaired  to  Pera,  where  he 
served  as  janitor  in  the  hotels  of  various  am- 
bassadors, by  whom  he  was  much  respected 
for  his  fidelity.  Amongst  others  of  these  gen- 
tlemen, he  served  him  of  your  own  nation : 
this  occurred  at  the  time  that  there  was  war 
between  England  and  the  Porte.*  Monsieur 
the  Ambassador  had  to  escape  for  his  life, 
leaving  the  greater  part  of  his  valuables  to  the 
care  of  my  father,  who  concealed  them  at  his 
own  great  risk,  and  when  the  dispute  was 
settled,  restored  them  to  Monsieur,  even  to  the 
most  inconsiderable  trinket.  I  mention  this 
circumstance  to  show  you  that  I  am  of  a 
family  which  cherishes  principles  of  honour, 
and  in  which  confidence  may  be  placed.  My 
father  married  a  daughter  of  Pera,  et  mot  je 
suis  Punique  fruit  de  ce  mariage.  Of  my  mo- 
ther I  know  nothing,  as  she  died  shortly  after 
my  birth.  A  family  of  wealthy  Jews  took 
pity  on  my  forlorn  condition  and  offered  to 
bring  me  up,  to  which  my  father  gladly  con- 
sented ;  and  with  them  I  continued  several 
years,  until  I  was  a  beau  garden  ,•  they  were 
very  fond  of  me,  and  at  last  offered  to  adopt 
nrte,  and  at  their  death  to  bequeath  me  all  they 
had,  on  condition  of  my  becoming  a  Jew. 
Mais  la  circoncision  n'etoil  guere  d  man  gout ; 
especially  that  of  the  Jews,  for  I  am  a  Greek, 
am  proud,  and  have  principles  of  honour,  I 
quitted  them,  therefore,  saying  that  if  ever  I 
allowed  myself  to  .be  converted,  it  should  be 
to  the  faith  of  the  Turks,  for  they  are  men,  are 
proud,  and  have  principles  of  honour  like  my- 
self. I  then  returned  to  my  father,  who  pro- 
cured me  various  situations,  none  of  which 
were  to  my  liking,  until  I  was  placed  in  the 
house  of  Monsieur  Zea. 

Myself. — You  mean,  I  suppose,  Zea  Ber- 
mudez,  who  chanced  to  be  at  Constantinople. 


*  This  was  possibly  the  period  when  Admiral 
Duckworth  attemptea  to  force  the  passage  of  the 
Dardanelles. 


THE  BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


87 


Buchini. — Just  so,  mi  Lor,  and  with  him  I 
continued  during  his  stay.  He  put  great  con- 
fidence in  me,  more  especially  as  I  spoke  the 
pure  Spanish  language,  which  I  acquired 
amongst  the  Jews,  who,  as  I  have  heard  Mon- 
sieur Zea  say,  speak  it  better  than  the  present 
natives  of  Spain. 

I  shall  not  follow  the  Greek  step  by  step 
throughout  his  history,  which  was  rather 
lengthy  :  suffice  it  to  say  that  he  was  brought 
by  Zea  Bermudez  from  Constantinople  to  Spain, 
where  he  continued  in  his  service  for  many 
years,  and  from  whose  house  he  was  expelled 
for  marrying  a  Guipuscoan  damsel,  who  was 
fille  de  chambre  to  Madame  Zea ;  since  which 
time  it  appeared  that  he  had  served  an  infinity 
of  masters;  sometimes  as  valet,  sometimes  as 
cook,  but  generally  in  the  last  capacity.  He 
confessed,  however,  that  he  had  seldom  con- 
tinued more  than  three  days  in  the  same  ser- 
vice, on  account  of  the  disputes  which  were 
sure  to  arise  in  the  house  almost  immediately 
after  his  admission,  and  for  which  he  could 
assign  no  other  reason  than  his  being  a  Greek, 
and  having  principles  of  honour.  Amongst 
other  persons  whom  he  had  served  was  Ge- 
neral Cordova,  who  he  said  was  a  bad  pay- 
master, and  was  in  the  habit  of  maltreating 
his  domestics.  "But  he  found  his  match  in 
me,"  said  Antonio,  "  for  I  was  prepared  for 
him ;  and  once,  when  he  drew  his  sword 
against  me,  I  pulled  out  a  pistol  and  pointed 
it  in  his  face.  He  grew  pale  as  death,  and 
from  that  hour  treated  me  with  all  kinds  of 
condescension.  It  was  only  pretence,  how- 
ever, for  the  affair  rankled  in  his  mind ;  he 
had  determined  upon  revenge,  and  on  being 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  army,  he  was 
particularly  anxious  that  I  should  attend  him 
to  the  camp.  Mais  je  lui  ris  au  nez,  made 
the  sign  of  the  cortamanga — asked  for  my 
wages,  and  left  him ;  and  well  it  was  that  I 
did  so,  for  the  very  domestic  whom  he  took 
with  him  he  caused  to  be  shot  upon  a  charge 
of  mutiny." 

"I  am  afraid,"  said  I,  "that  you  are  of  a 
turbulent  disposition,  and  that  the  disputes  to 
which  you  have  alluded  are  solely  to  be  attri- 
buted to  the  badness  of  your  temper." 

"  What  would  you  have.  Monsieur  ?  Moije 
suts  Grec,je  sutsfier  et  j  ^ai  des  principles  cChon- 
neur.  I  expect  to  be  treated  with  a  certain  con- 
sideration, though  I  confess  that  my  temper  is 
none  of  the  best,  and  that  at  times  I  am  tempted 
to  quarrel  with  the  pots  and  pans  in  the  kitchen. 
I  think,  upon  the  whole,  that  it  will  be  for 
four  advantage  to  engage  me,  and  I  promise 


you  to  be  on  my  guard.  There  is  one  thing 
that  pleases  me  relating  to  you,  you  are  un- 
married. Now,  1  would  rather  serve  a  young 
unmarried  man  for  love  and  friendship  than  a 
Benedict  for  fifty  dollars  per  month.  Madame 
is  sure  to  hate  me,  and  so  is  her  waiting  wo- 
man ;  and  more  particularly  the  latter,  because 
I  am  a  married  man.  I  see  that  mi  Lor  is 
willing  to  engage  me." 

"  But  you  say  you  are  a  married  man,"  I 
replied;  "how  can  you  desert  your  wife,  for 
I  am  about  to  leave  Madrid,  and  to  travel  into 
the  remote  and  mountainous  parts  of  Spain." 

"  My  wife  will  receive  the  moiety  of  my 
wages,  while  I  am  absent,  mi  Lor,  and  there- 
fore will  have  no  reason  to  complain  of  being 
deserted.  Complain!  did  I  say  ;  my  wife  is 
at  present  too  well  instructed  to  complain. 
She  never  speaks  nor  sits  in  my  presence 
unless  I  give  her  permission.  Am  I  not  a 
Greek,  and  do  I  not  know  how  to  govern  my 
own  house  ?  Engage  me,  mi  Lor,  I  am  a 
man  of  many  capacities  :  a  discreet  valet,  an 
excellent  cook,  a  good  groom  and  light  rider ; 
in  a  word,  I  am  Pw;iioixoj.  What  would  you 
morel" 

I  asked  him  his  terms,  which  were  extrava- 
gant, notwithstanding  his  principles  d^honneur. 
1  found  however,  that  he  was  willing  to  take 
one  half. 

I  had  no  sooner  engaged  him,  than  seizing 
the  tureen  of  soup,  which  had  by  this  time 
become  quite  cold,  he  placed  it  on  the  top  of 
his  fore  finger,  or  rather  on  the  nail  thereof 
causing  it  to  make  various  circumlocutions 
over  his  head,  to  my  great  astonishment,  with- 
out spilling  a  drop,  then  springing  with  it  to 
the  door  he  vanished,  and  in  another  moment 
made  his  appearance  with  the  puchcra,  which, 
after  a  similar  bound  and  flourish,  he  deposited 
on  the  table;  then  suffering  his  hands  to 
sink  before  him,  he  put  one  over  the  other  and 
stood  at  his  ease  with  half  shut  eyes,  for  all 
the  world  as  if  he  had  been  in  my  service 
twenty  years. 

And  in  this  manner  Antonio  Buchini  en- 
tered upon  his  duties.  Many  was  the  wild 
spot  to  which  he  subsequently  accompanied 
me;  many  the  wild  adventure  of  which  he 
was  the  sharer.  His  behaviour  was  fre- 
quently in  the  highest  degree  extraordinary, 
but  he  served  me  courageously  and  faithfully : 
such  a  valet,  take  him  for  all  and  all, 

"  His  like  I  ne'er  expect  to  see  again." 
Koako  bakh  Anion 


m 


THE   BIBLE   IN  SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Ulness — Nocturnal  Visit — A  Master  Mind — The  Whisper — Salamanca — Irish  Hospitality — Spanish 
Soldiers — The  Scriptures  Advertised. 


But  I  am  anxious  to  enter  upon  the  narra- 
tive of  my  journey,  and  shall  therefore  abstain 
from  relating  to  my  readers  a  great  many  cir- 
cumstances which  occurred  previously  to  my 
leaving  Madrid  on  this  expedition.  About 
the  middle  of  May,  I  had  got  every  thing  in 
readiness,  and  I  bade  farewell  to  my  friends. 
Salamanca  was  the  first  place  which  I  in- 
tended to  visit. 

Some  days  previous  to  my  departure  I  was 
very  much  indisposed,  owing  to  the  state  of 
the  weather,  for  violent  and  biting  winds  had 
long  prevailed.  I  had  been  attacked  with  a 
severe  cold,  which  terminated  in  a  disagree- 
able cnugh,  which  the  many  remedies  I  suc- 
cessively tried  seemed  unable  to  subdue.  I 
had  made  preparations  for  departing  on  a  par- 
ticular day,  but  owing  to  the  state  of  my 
health.  I  was  apprehensive  that  I  should  be 
compelled  to  defer  my  journey  for  a  time. 
The  last  day  of  my  stay  in  Madrid,  finding 
myself  scarcely  able  to  stand,  I  was  fain  to 
Bubmit  to  a  somewhat  desperate  experiment, 
and  by  the  advice  of  the  barber-surgeon  who 
visited  me,  I  determined  to  be  bled.  Late  on 
the  night  of  that  same  day  he  took  from  me 
sixteen  onnces  of  blood,  and  having  received 
his  fee  left  me,  wishing  me  a  pleasant  journey, 
and  assuring  me,  upon  his  reputation,  that  by 
noon  the  next  day  I  should  be  perfectly 
recovered. 

A  few  minutes  after  his  departure,  whilst  I 
was  sitting  alone,  meditating  on  the  journey 
which  I  was  about  to  undertake,  and  on  the 
rickety  slate  of  my  health,  I  heard  a  loud 
knock  at  the  street  door  of  the  house,  on  the 
third  floor  of  which  I  was  lodged.  In  another 
minute  Mr.  *****  of  the  British  Embassy 
entered  my  apartment.  After  a  little  con- 
versation, he  informed  me  that  Mr.  Villiers 
had  desired  him  to  wait  npon  me  to  communi- 
cate a  resolution  which  he  had  come  to. 
Being  apprehensive  that,  alone  and  unassisted, 
I  should  experience  considerable  difficulty  in 
propograting  the  gospel  of  God  to  any  con- 
siderable extent  in  Spain,  he  was  bent  upon 
exerting  to  the  utmost  his  own  credit  and  in- 
fluence to  further  my  views,  which  he  him- 
self considered,  if  carried  into  proper  effect, 
extremely  well  calculated  to  operate  benefi- 
cially on  the  political  and  moral  state  of  the 
country.  To  this  end  it  was  his  intention  to 
purchase  a  very  considerable  number  of  copies 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  to  despatch  them 
forthwith  to  the  various  British  consuls  es- 
tablished in  different  parts  of  Spain,  with 
strict  and  positive  orders  to  employ  all  the 
means  which  their  official  situation  should 
afford  them  to  circulate  the  hooks  in  question, 
and    to   assure   their  being  noticed.    They 


were,  moreover,  to  be  charged  to  afford  me, 
whenever  I  should  appear  in  their  respective 
districts,  all  the  protection,  encouragement, 
and  assistance  which  I  should  stand  in 
need  of. 

I  was  of  course  much  rejoiced  on  receiving 
this  information,  for  though  I  had  long  been 
aware  that  Mr.  Villiers  was  at  all  times  will- 
ing  to  assist  me,  he  having  frequently  given 
me  sufficient  proof,  I  could  never  expect  that 
he  would  come  forward  in  so  noble,  and,  to 
say  the  least  of  it,  considering  his  high  diplo- 
matic situation,  so  bold  and  decided  a  manner. 
I  believe  that  this  was  the  first  instance  of  a 
British  ambassador  having  made  the  cause  of 
the  Bible  Society  a  national  one,  or  indeed 
of  having  favoured  it  directly  or  indirectly. 
What  renders  the  case  of  Mr.  Villiers  more 
remarkable  is,  that  on  my  first  arrival  at  Ma- 
drid, I  found  him  by  no  means  well  disposed 
towards  the  Society.  The  Holy  Spirit  had 
probably  illumined  his  mind  on  this  point.  I 
hoped  that  by  his  means  our  institution  would 
shortly  possess  many  agents  in  Spain,  who, 
with  far  more  power  and  better  opportunities 
than  I  myself  could  ever  expect  to  possess, 
would  scatter  abroad  the  seed  of  the  gospel, 
and  make  of  a  barren  and  thirsty  wilderness 
a  green  and  smiling  corn-field. 

A  word  or  two  about  the  gentleman  who 
paid  me  this  nocturnal  visit.  Though  he  has 
probably  long  since  forgotten  the  humble  cir- 
culater  of  the  Bible  in  Spain,  I  still  bear  in 
mind  numerous  acts  of  kindness  which  I  ex- 
perienced at  his  hands.  Endowed  with  an 
intellect  of  the  highest  order,  master  of  the 
lore  of  all  Europe,  profoundly  versed  in  the 
ancient  tongues,  and  speaking  most  of  the 
modern  dialects  with  remarkable  facility, — 
possessed,  moreover,  of  a  thorough  know- 
ledge of  mankind, — he  brought  with  him  into 
the  diplomatic  career  advantages  such  as  few, 
even  the  most  highly  gifted,  can  boast  of. 
During  his  sojourn  in  Spain,  he  performed 
many  eminent  services  for  the  government 
which  employed  him ;  services  which,  I 
believe,  it  had  sufficient  discernment  to  see, 
and  gratitude  to  reward.  He  had  to  en- 
counter, however,  the  full  brunt  of  the  low 
and  stupid  malignity  of  the  party  who,  shortly 
after  the  time  of  which  I  am  spenkingr,  usurped 
the  managementof  the  affairs  of  Spain.  This 
party,  whose  foolish  manoeuvres  he  was  con- 
tinually discomfiting,  feared  and  hated  him 
as  its  evil  genius,  taking  every  opportunity 
of  showering  on  his  head  calumnies  the  most 
improbable  and  absurd .  Amongst  other  things, 
he  was  accused  of  having  acted  as  an  agent 
to  the  English  government  in  the  affair  of 
the  Granja,  bringing  about  that  revolution  by 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


89 


bribingf  the  mntinons  soldiers,  and  more  par- 
ticularly the  notorious  Sergeant  Garcia.  Such 
an  accusation  will  of  course  merely  extract  a 
smile  from  those  who  are  at  all  acquainted 
with  the  English  character,  and  the  general 
line  of  conduct  pursued  by  the  English  govern- 
ment. It  was  a  charge,  however,  universally 
believed  in  Spain,  and  was  even  preferred  in 
print  by  a  certain  journal,  the  official  organ 
of  the  silly  Duke  of  Frias,  one  of  the  many 
prime  ministers  of  the  moderado  party  who 
followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession  to- 
wards the  latter  period  of  the  Carlist  and 
Christino  struggle.  But  when  did  a  calum- 
nious report  ever  fall  to  the  ground  in  Spain 
by  the  weight  of  its  own  absurdity?  Un- 
happy land,  not  until  the  pure  light  of  the 
g  spel  has  illumined  thee,  wilt  thou  learn 
that  the  greatest  of  all  gifts  is  charity. 

The  next  day  verified  the  prediction  of  the 
Spanish  surgeon,  I  had  to  a  considerable  de- 
gree Inst  my  cough  and  fever,  though,  owing 
to  the  loss  of  blood,  I  was  somewhat  feeble. 
Precisely  at  twelve  o'clock  the  horses  were 
led  forth  before  the  door  of  my  lodging  in  the 
Calle  do  Santiago,  and  1  prepared  to  mount; 
but  my  black  entero  of  Andalusia  would  not 
permit  me  to  approach  his  side,  and  whenever 
I  made  the  attempt,  commenced  wheeling 
round  with  great  rapidity. 

"Ces/  un  manvais  signe  mon  viatire"  said 
Antonio,  who,  dressed  in  a  green  jerkin,  a 
Montero  cap,  and  booted  and  spurred,  stood 
ready  to  attend  me,  holding  by  the  bridle  the 
horse  which  I  had  purchased  from  the  contra- 
bandista.  "It  is  a  bad  sign,  and  in  my 
country  they  would  defer  the  journey  till  to- 
morrow," 

"Are  there  whisperers  in  your  country?" 
I  demanded ;  and  taking  the  horse  by  the 
mane,  I  performed  the  ceremony  after  the 
most  approved  fashion  :  the  animal  stood  still, 
and  I  mounted  the  saddle,  exclaiming: — 

"The  Rommany  Chal  to  his  horse  did  cry, 
As  he  placed  the  bit  in  his  horse's  jaw  ; 
Kosko  gry  !     Rommany  gry  ! 
Muk  man  kistur  tute  knaw." 

We  then  rode  forth  from  Madrid  by  the  gate 
of  San  Vicente,  directing  our  course  to  the 
lofty  mountains  which  separate  Old  from  New 
Castile.  That  night  we  rested  at  Guadarama, 
a  large  village  at  their  foot,  distant  from  Ma- 
drid about  seven  leagues.  Rising  early  on 
the  following  morning,  we  ascended  the  pass 
and  entered  into  Old  Castile. 

After  crossing  the  mountains,  the  route  to 
Salamanca  lies  almost  entirely  over  sandy  and 
arid  plains,  interspersed  here  and  there  with 
thin  and  scanty  groves  of  pine.  No  ad- 
venture worth  relating  occurred  during  this 
journey.  We  sold  a  few  Testaments  in  the 
villages  through  which  we  passed,  more 
especially  at  Peiiaranda.  About  noon  of  the 
third  day,  on  reaching  the  brow  of  a  hillock, 
we  saw  a  huge  dome  before  us,  upon  which 
the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun  striking,  pro- 
duced the  appearance  of  burnished  gold.  It 
belonged  to  the  cathedral  of  Salamanca,  and 
we  flattered  ourselves  that  we  were  already ' 
12 


at  our  journey's  end  :  we  were  deceived,  hovir 
ever,  being  still  four  leagues  distant  from  the 
town,  whose  cliurches  and  convents,  towering 
up  in  gigantic  masses,  can  be  distinguished 
at  an  immense  distance,  flattering  the  traveller 
with  an  idea  of  propinquity  which  does  not  in 
reality  exist.  It  was  not  till  long  after  night- 
fall that  we  arrived  at  the  city  gate,  which 
we  found  closed  and  guarded,  in  apprehen- 
sion of  a  Carlist  attack;  and  having  obtained 
admission  with  some  difficulty,  we  led  our 
horses  along  dark,  silent,  and  deserted  streets, 
till  we  found  an  individual  who  directed  us  to 
a  large,  gloomy,  and  comfortless  posada,  that 
of  the  Bull,  which  we,  however,  subsequently 
found  was  the  best  which  the  town  aff"orde-d. 

A  melancholy  town  is  Salamanca ;  the  days 
of  its  collegiate  glory  are  long  since  past  by 
never  more  to  return  :  a  circumstance,  how- 
ever, which  is  little  to  be  regretted  ;  for  what 
benefit  did  the  world  ever  derive  from  scho- 
lastic philosophy  ?  And  for  that  alone  was 
Salamanca  ever  famous.  Its  halls  are  now 
almost  silent,  and  grass  is  growing  in  its 
courts,  which  were  once  daily  thronged  by  at 
least  eight  thousand  students;  a  number  to 
which,  at  the  present  day,  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  the  city  does  not  amount.  Yet,  with 
all  its  melancholy,  what  an  interesting,  nay, 
what  a  magnificent  place  is  Salamanca.  How 
glorious  are  its  churches,  how  stupendous  are 
its  deserted  convents,  and  with  what  sublime 
hut  sullen  grandeur  do  its  huge  and  crumbling 
walls,  which  crown  the  precipitous  bank  of 
the  Tormes,  look  down  upon  the  lovely  river 
and  its  venerable  bridge. 

What  a  pity  that,  of  the  many  rivers  of 
Spain,  scarcely  one  is  navigable.  The  beauti- 
ful but  shallow  Tormes,  instead  of  proving  a 
source  of  blessing  and  wealth  to  this  part  of 
Castile,  is  of  no  farther  utility  than  to  turn 
the  wheels  of  various  small  water  mills,  stand- 
ing upon  weirs  of  stone,  which  at  certain  dis- 
tances traverse  the  river. 

My  sojourn  at  Salamanca  was  rendered 
particularly  pleasant  by  the  kind  attentions 
and  continual  acts  of  hospitality  which  I  ex- 
perienced from  the  inmates  of  the  Irish  Col- 
lege, to  the  rector  of  which  I  bore  a  letter  of 
recommendation  from  my  kind  and  excellent 
friend  Mr.  O'Shea,  the  celebrated  banker  of 
Madrid.  It  will  be  long  before  I  forget  these 
Irish,  more  especially  their  head.  Dr.  Gart- 
land,  a  genuine  scion  of  the  good  Hibernian 
tree,  an  accomplished  scholar,  and  a  courteous 
and  high  minded  gentleman.  Though  fully 
aware  who  I  was,  he  held  out  the  hand  of 
friendship  to  the  wandering  heretic  mission- 
ary, although  by  so  doing  he  exposed  himself 
to  the  rancol-ous  remarks  of  the  narrow  minded 
native  clergy,  who,  in  their  ugly  shovel  hats 
and  long  cloaks,  glared  at  me  askance  as  I 
passed  by  their  whispering  groups  beneath 
the  piazzas  of  the  Plaza.  But  when  did  the 
fear  of  consequences  cause  an  Irishman  to 
shrink  from  the  exercise  of  the  duties  of  hos- 
pitality? However  attached  to  his  religion 
— and  who  is  so  attached  to  the  Romish  creed 
as  the  Irishman  ? — I  am  convinced  that  not  all 
h2 


90 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


the  authority  of  the  Pope  or  the  Cardinals 
would  induce  him  to  close  his  doors  on  Luther 
himself,  were  that  respectable  personas;e  at 
present  alive  and  in  need  of  food  and  re- 
fuore. 

Honour  to  Ireland  and  her  "hundred  thou- 
sand welcomes  !"  Her  fields  have  long  been 
the  g^reenest  in  the  world  ;  her  daughters  the 
fairest;  her  sons  the  bravest  and  most  elo- 
quent.    May  they  never  cease  to  be  so. 

The  posada  where  1  had  put  up  was  a  good 
specimen  of  the  old  Spanish  inn,  being  much 
the  same  as  those  described  in  the  time  of 
Philip  the  Third  or  Fourth.  The  rooms  were 
many  and  large,  floored  with  either  brick  or 
stone,  generally  with  an  alcove  at  the  end,  in 
which  stood  a  wretched  flock  bed.  Behind 
the  house  was  a  court,  and  in  the  rear  of  this 
a  stable,  full  of  horses,  ponies,  mules,  machos, 
and  donkeys,  for  there  was  no  lack  of  guests, 
who,  however,  for  the  most  part  slept  in  the 
stable  with  their  caballerias,  being  either 
arrieros  or  small  peddling  merchants  who 
travelled  the  country  with  coarse  cloth  or 
linen.  Opposite  to  my  room  in  the  corridor 
lodged  a  wounded  oflicer,  who  had  just  ar- 
rived from  San  Sebastian  on  a  galled  broken- 
kneed  pony:  he  was  an  Estrimenian,  and 
was  returning  to  his  own  village  to  be  cured. 
He  was  attended  by  three  broken  soldiers, 
ame  or  maimed,  and  unfit  for  service:  they 
told  me  that  they  were  of  the  same  village  as 
his  worship,  and  on  that  account  he  permitted 
them  to  travel  with  him.  They  slept  amongst 
the  litter,  and  throughout  the  day  lounged 
about  the  house  smoking  paper  cigars.  I 
never  saw  them  eating,  though  they  frequently 
went  to  a  dark  cool  corner,  where  stood  a 
bota  or  kind  of  water  pitcher,  which  they  held 
about  six  inches  from  their  black  filmy  lips, 
permitting  the  liquid  to  trickle  down  their 
throats.  They  said  they  had  no  pay,  and 
were  quite  destitute  of  money,  that  su  merced 
the  officer  occasionally  gave  them  a  piece  of 
bread,  but  that  he  himself  was  poor  and  had 
only  a  few  dollars.  Brave  guests  for  an  inn, 
thought  I;  yet,  to  the  honour  of  Spain  be  it 
spoken,  that  it  is  one  of  the  few  countries  in 
Europe  where  poverty  is  never  insulted  nor 
looked  upon  with  contempt.  Even  at  an  inn, 
the  poor  man  is  never  spurned  from  the  door, 
and  if  not  harboured,  is  at  least  dismissed 
with  fair  words,  and  consigned  to  the  mercies 
of  God  and  his  mother.  This  is  as  it  should 
be.  I  laugh  at  the  bigotry  and  prejudices  of 
Spaiti;  I  abhor  the  cruelty  and  ferocity  which 


have  cast  a  stain  of  eternal  infamy  on  her  his- 
tory ;  but  I  will  say  for  the  Spaniards,  that  in 
their  social  intercourse  no  people  in  the  world 
exhibit  a  juster  feeling  of  what  is  due  to  the 
dignity  of  human  nature,  or  better  understand 
the  behaviour  which  it  behoves  a  man  to 
adopt  towards  his  fellow  beings.  I  have  said 
that  it  is  one  of  the  few  countries  in  Europe 
where  poverty  is  not  treated  with  contempt, 
and  I  may  add,  where  the  wealthy  are  not 
blindly  idoli-zed.  In  Spain  the  very  beggar 
does  not  feel  himself  a  degraded  being,  for  he 
kisses  no  one's  feet,  and  knows  not  what  it  is 
to  be  cufl^ed  or  spitten  upon;  and  in  Spain 
the  duke  or  the  marquis  can  scarcely  entertain 
a  very  overweening  opinion  of  his  own  con- 
sequence, as  he  finds  no  one,  with  perhaps  the 
exception  of  his  French  valet,  to  fawn  upon 
or  flatter  him. 

During  my  stay  at  Salamanca,  I  took  mea- 
sures that  the  word  of  God  might  become 
generally  known  in  this  celebrated  city.  The 
principal  bookseller  of  the  town,  Blanco,  a 
man  of  great  wealth  and  respectability,  con- 
sented to  become  my  agent  here,  and  I  in 
consequence  deposited  in  his  shop  a  certain 
number  of  New  Testaments.  He  was  the 
proprietor  of  a  small  printing  press,  where 
the  ofl^cial  bulletin  of  the  place  was  published. 
For  this  bulletin  1  prepared  an  advertisement 
of  the  work,  in  which,  amongst  other  things, 
I  said  that  the  New  Testament  was  the  only 
guide  to  salvation  ;  I  also  spoke  of  the  Bible 
Society,  and  the  great  pecuniary  sacrifices 
which  it  was  making  with  the  view  of  pro- 
claiming Christ  crucified,  and  of  making  his 
doctrine  known.  This  step  will  perhaps  be 
considered  by  some  as  too  bold,  but  I  was  not 
aware  that  I  could  take  any  more  calculated 
to  arouse  the  attention  of  the  people — a  con- 
siderable point.  I  also  ordered  numbers  of  the 
same  advertisement  to  be  struck  off  in  the 
shape  of  bills,  which  I  caused  to  be  stuck  up 
in  various  parts  of  the  town.  I  had  great 
hope  that  by  means  of  these  a  considerable 
number  of  New  Testaments  would  be  sold. 
I  intended  to  repeat  this  experiment  in  Valla- 
dolid,  Leon,  St.  Jago,  and  all  the  principal 
towns  which  I  visited,  and  to  distribute  them 
likewise  as  I  rode  along:  the  children  of 
Spain  would  thus  be  brought  to  know  that 
such  a  work  as  the  New  Testament  is  in  ex- 
istence, a  fact  of  which  not  five  in  one  hun- 
dred were  then  aware,  notwithstanding  their 
so  frequently  repeated  boasts  of  their  Catho- 
licity and  Christianity. 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


91 


CHAPTER  XXL 

Departure  from  Salamanca — Reception  at  Pitiegua — The  Dilemma — Sudden  Inspiration — The  ^ood 
Presbyter — Combat  of  Quadrupeds — Irish  Christians — Plains  of  Spain — The  Catalans — The  tatal 
Pool — Valladolid — Circulation  of  the  Scripture — Philippine  Missions — Enghsh  College — A  Con- 
versation— The  Gaoleress. 


On  Saturday,  the  10th  of  June,  I  left  Sala- 
manca for  Valladolid.  As  the  village  where 
we  intended  to  rest  was  only  five  leagues  dis- 
tant, we  did  not  sally  forth  till  midday  was 
past.  There  was  a  haze  in  the  heavens 
which  overcast  the  sun,  nearly  hiding  his 
countenance  from  our  view.  My  friend,  Mr. 
Patrick  Cantwell,  of  the  Irish  College,  was 
kind  enough  to  ride  with  me  part  of  the  way. 
He  was  mounted  on  a  most  sorry  looking 
hired  mule,  which  I  expected  would  be  un- 
able to  keep  pace  with  the  spirited  horses  of 
myself  and  man,  for  he  seemed  to  be  twin 
brother  of  the  mule  of  Gil  Perez,  on  which 
his  nephew  made  his  celebrated  journey  from 
Oviedo  to  Penaflor.  I  was,  however,  very 
much  mistaken.  The  creature  on  being 
mounted  instantly  set  off  at  that  rapid  walk 
which  I  have  so  often  admired  in  Spanish 
mules,  and  which  no  horse  can  emulate.  Our 
more  stately  animals  were  speedily  left  in  the 
rear,  and  we  were  continually  obliged  to  break 
into  a  trot  to  follow  the  singular  quadruped, 
who,  ever  and  anon,  would  lift  his  head  high 
in  the  air,  curl  up  his  lip,  and  show  his  yellow 
teeth,  as  if  he  were  laughing  at  us,  as  perhaps 
he  was.  It  chanced  that  none  of  us  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  road  ;  indeed,  I  could  see 
nothing  which  was  fairly  entitled  to  that  ap- 
pellation. The  way  from  Salamanca  to  Val- 
ladolid is  amongst  a  medley  of  bridle-paths 
and  drift-ways,  where  discrimination  is  very 
difficult.  It  was  not  long  before  we  were  be- 
wildered, and  travelled  over  more  ground  than 
was  strictly  necessary.  However,  as  men 
and  women  frequently  passed  on  donkeys  and 
little  ponies,  we  were  not  too  proud  to  be  set 
right  by  them,  and  by  dint  of  diligent  enquiry 
we  at  length  arrived  at  Pitiegua,  four  leagues 
from  Salamanca,  a  small  village,  containing 
about  fifty  families,  consisting  of  mud  huts, 
and  situated  in  the  midst  of  dusty  plains, 
where  corn  was  growing  in  abundance.  We 
asixed  for  the  house  of  the  cura,  an  old  man 
whom  I  had  seen  the  day  before  at  the  Irish 
College,  and  who,  on  being  informed  that  I 
was  about  to  depart  for  Valladolid,  had  ex- 
acted from  me  a  promise  that  I  would  not  pass 
through  his  village  without  paying  him  a  visit 
and  partaking  of  his  hospitality. 

A  woman  directed  us  to  a  cottage  somewhat 
superior  in  appearance  to  those  contiguous. 
It  had  a  small  portico,  which,  if  I  remember 
well,  was  overgrown  with  a  vine.  We 
knocked  loud  and  long  at  the  door,  but  re- 
ceived no  answer;  the  voice  of  man  was 
silent,  and  not  even  a  dog  barked.  The 
truth  was,  that  the  old  curate  was  taking  his 


siesta,  and  so  were  his  whole  family,  which 
consisted  of  one  ancient  female  and  a  cat. 
The  good  man  was  at  last  disturbed  by  our 
noise  and  vociferation,  for  we  were  hungry, 
and  consequently  impatient.  Leaping  from 
his  couch,  he  came  running  to  the  door  ia 
great  hurry  and  confusion,  and  perceiving  us, 
he  made  many  apologies  for  being  asleep  at  a 
period  when,  he  said,  he  ought  to  have  been 
on  the  look  out  for  his  invited  guest.  He 
embraced  me  very  affectionately  and  conducted 
me  into  his  parlour,  an  apartment  of  tolerable 
size,  hung  round  with  shelves,  which  were 
crowded  with  books.  At  one  end  there  was 
a  kind  of  table  or  desk  covered  with  black 
leather,  with  a  large  easy  chair,  into  which  he 
pushed  me,  as  I,  with  the  true  eagerness  of  a 
bibliomaniac,  was  about  to  inspect  his  shelves; 
saying,  with  considerable  vehemence,  that 
there  was  nothing  there  worthy  of  the  atten- 
tion of  an  Englishman,  for  that  his  whole 
stock  consisted  of  breviaries,  and  dry  Catholic 
treatises  on  divinity. 

His  care  now  was  to  furnish  us  with  re- 
freshments. In  a  twinkling,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  his  old  attendant,  he  placed  on  the 
table  several  plates  of  cakes  and  confectionery, 
and  a  number  of  large  uncouth  glass  bottles, 
which  I  thought  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to 
those  of  Schiedam,  and  indeed  they  were  the 
very  same.  "There,"  said  he,  rubbing  his 
hands;  "I  thank  God  that  it  is  in  my  power 
to  treat  you  in  a  way  which  will  be  agreeable 
to  you.  In  those  bottles  there  is  Hollands, 
thirty  years  old;"  and  producing  two  arge 
tumblers,  he  continued,  "fill,  my  friends,  and 
drink,  drink  it  every  drop  if  you  please,  for  it 
is  of  little  use  to  myself,  who  seldom  drink 
aught  but  water.  I  know  that  you  islanders 
love  it,  and  cannot  live  without  it;  therefore, 
since  it  does  you  good,  I  am  only  sorry  that 
there  is  no  more."  . 

Observing  that  we  contented  ourselves  with 
merely  tasting  it,  he  looked  at  us  with  asto- 
nishment, and  enquired  the  reason  of  our  not 
drinking.  We  told  him  that  we  seldom  drank 
ardent  spirits ;  and  I  added,  that  as  for  my- 
self, I  seldom  tasted  even  wine,  but  like  him- 
self, was  content  witli  the  use  of  water.  He 
appeared  somewhat  incredulous,  but  told  us  to 
do  exactly  what  we  pleased,  and  to  ask  for 
what  was  agreeable  to  us.  We  told  him  that 
we  had  not  dined,  and  should  be  glad  of  some 
substantial  refreshment.  "  I  am  afraid,"  said 
he,  "that  I  have  nothing  in  the  house  which 
will  suit  you ;  however,  we  will  go  and  see." 

Thereupon  he  led  us  through  a  small  yard 
.  at  the  back  part  of  his  house,  which  might 


92 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


have  been  called  a  sjarden,  or  orchard,  if  it  had 
displayed  either  trees  or  flowers;  but  it  pro- 
duced nothing  but  grass,  which  was  growing 
in  luxuriance.  At  one  end  was  a  large  pigeon- 
house,  which  we  all  entered:  "tor,"  said  the 
curate,  "if  we  could  find  some  nice  delicate 
pigeons  they  would  afford  you  an  excellent 
dinner."  We  were,  however,  disappointed: 
for  after  rummaging  the  nests,  we  only  found 
very  young  ones,  unfitted  for  our  purpose. 
The  good  man  became  very  melancholy,  and 
said  he  had  some  misgivings  that  we  should 
have  to  depart  dinnerless.  Leaving  the  pi- 
geon-house, he  conducted  us  to  a  place  where 
there  were  several  skeps  of  bees,  round  which 
multitudes  of  the  busy  insects  were  hovering, 
filling  the  air  with  their  music.  "  Next  to  my 
fellow  creatures,"  said  he,  "  there  is  nothing 
which  1  love  so  dearly  as  these  bees  ;  it  is  one 
of  my  delights  to  sit  watching  them,  and  lis- 
tening to  their,  murmur."  We  next  went  to 
several  unfurnished  rooms,  fronting  the  yard, 
in  one  of  which  were  hanging  several  flitches 
of  bacon,  beneath  which  he  stopped,  and  look- 
ing up,  g<!zed  intently  upon  them.  We  told 
him  that  if  he  had  nothing  better  to  oflTer,  we 
should  be  very  glad  to  eat  sorr;e  slices  of  this 
bacon,  especially  if  some  eggs  were  added. 
"To  tell  the  truth,"  said  he,  "  I  have  nothing 
better,  and  if  you  can  content  yourselves  with 
such  fare  I  shall  be  very  happy  ;  as  for  eggs, 
you  can  have  as  many  as  you  wish,  and  per- 
fectly fresh,  for  my  hens  lay  every  day." 

So,  after  every  thing  was  prepared  and  ar- 
ranged to  our  satisfaction,  we  sat  down  to  dine 
on  the  bacon  and  eggs,  in  a  small  room,  not 
the  one  to  which  he  had  ushered  us  at  first, 
but  on  the  other  side  of  the  doorway.  The 
good  curate,  though  he  ate  nothing,  having 
taken  his  meal  long  before,  sat  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  and  the  repast  was  enlivened  by  his 
chat.  "  There,  my  friends,"  said  he,  "  where 
you  are  now  seated  once  sat  Wellington  and 
Crawford,  after  they  had  beat  the  French  at 
Arapiles,  and  rescued  us  from  the  thraldom  of 
those  wicked  people.  I  never  respected  my 
house  so  much  as  I  have  done  since  they 
honoured  it  with  their  presence.  They  were 
heroes,  and  one  was  a  demi-god."  He  then 
burst  into  a  most  eloquent  panegyric  of  El 
Gran  Lord,  as  he  termed  him,  which  I  should 
be  very  happy  to  translate,  were  my  pen  capa- 
ble of  rendering  into  English  the  robust  thun- 
dering sentences  of  his  powerful  Castilian.  I 
had  till  then  considered  him  a  plain  uninformed 
old  man,  almost  simple,  and  as  incapable  of 
much  emotion  as  a  tortoise  within  its  shell; 
but  he  had  become  at  once  inspired :  his  eyes 
were  replete  with  a  bright  fire,  and  every 
muscle  of  his  face  was  quivering.  The  little 
silk  scull-cap  which  he  wore,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  Catholic  clergy,  moved  up  and 
down  with  his  agitation,  and  I  soon  saw  that 
I  was  in  the  presence  of  one  of  those  remark- 
able men  who  so  frequently  spring  up  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Romish  church,  and  who  to  a 
child-like  simplicity  unite  immense  energy 
and  power  of  mind, — equally  adapted  to  guide 
a  scanty  flock  of  ignorant  rustics  in  some  ob- 


scure village  in  Italy  or  Spain,  as  to  converc 
millions  of  heathens  on  the  shores  of  Japan, 
China,  and  Paraguay. 

He  was  a  thin  spare  man,  of  about  sixty- 
five,  and  was  dressed  in  a  black  cloak  of  very 
coarse  materials,  nor  were  his  other  garments 
of  superior  quality.  This  plainness,  however, 
in  the  appearance  of  his  outward  man  was  by 
no  means  the  result  of  poverty  ;  quite  the  con- 
trary. The  benefice  was  a  very  plentiful  one, 
and  placed  at  his  disposal  annually  a  sum  of 
at  least  eight  hundred  dollars,  of  which  the 
eighth  part  was  more  than  sufficient  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  his  house  and  himself;  the 
rest  was  devoted  entirely  to  the  purest  acts  of 
charity.  He  fed  the  hungry  wanderer,  and 
despatched  him  singing  on  his  way,  with  meat 
in  his  wallet  and  a  peseta  in  his  purse,  and  his 
parishioners,  when  in  need  of  money,  had 
only  to  repair  to  his  study  and  were  sure  of 
an  immediate  supply.  He  was,  indeed,  the 
banker  of  the  village,  and  what  he  lent  he 
neither  expected  nor  wished  to  be  returned. 
Though  under  the  necessity  of  making  frequent 
journeys  to  Salamanca,  he  kept  no  mule,  but 
contented  himself  with  an  ass,  borrowed  from 
the  neighbouring  miller.  "  I  once  kept  a 
mule,"  said  he ;  "  but  some  years  since  it  was 
removed  without  my  permission  by  a  traveller 
whom  I  had  housed  for  the  night;  for  in  that 
alcove  I  keep  two  clean  beds  for  the  use  of  tha 
wayfaring,  and  I  shall  be  very  much  pleased 
if  yourself  and  friend  will  occupy  them,  and 
tarry  with  me  till  the  morning." 

But  I  was  eager  to  continue  my  journey, 
and  my  friend  was  no  less  anxious  to  return 
to  Salamanca.  Upon  taking  leave  of  the  hos- 
pitable curate,  1  presented  him  with  a  copy  of 
the  New  Testament.  He  received  it  without 
uttering  a  single  word,  and  placed  it  on  one 
of  the  shelves  of  his  study  ;  but  I  observed 
him  nodding  significantly  to  the  Irish  student, 
perhaps  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Your  friend 
loses  no  opportunity  of  propagating  his  book ;" 
for  he  was  well  aware  who  I  was.  I  shall 
not  speedily  forget  the  truly  good  presbyter, 
Anthonio  Garcia  de  Aguilar,  Cura  of  Pitiegua. 

We  reached  Pedroso  shortly  before  night- 
fall. It  was  a  small  village  containing  about 
thirty  houses,  and  intersected  by  a  rivulet,  or 
as  it  is  called  a  regata.  On  its  banks  women 
and  maidens  were  washing  their  linen  and 
singing  couplets ;  the  church  stood  lone  and 
solitary  on  the  farther  side.  We  enquired  for 
the  posada,  and  were  shown  a  cottage  difler- 
ing  nothing  from  the  rest  in  general  appear- 
ance. We  called  at  the  door  in  vain,  as  it  is 
not  the  custom  of  Castile  for  the  people  of 
these  halting  places  to  go  out  to  welcome  their 
visitors :  at  last  we  dismounted  and  entered 
the  house,  demanding  of  a  sullen,  looking  wo- 
man where  we  were  to  place  the  horses.  She 
said  there  was  a  stable  within  the  house,  but 
we  could  not  put  the  animals  there  as  it  con- 
tained malos  imchos  (^savage  mutes)  belonging 
to  two  travellers,  who  would  certainly  fight 
with  our  horses,  and  then  there  would  be  a 
funcion,  which  would  tear  the  house  down. 
She  then  pointed  to  an  outhouse  across  the 


THE  BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


93 


way,  saying  that  we  could  stable  them  there. 
"We  entered  this  place,  which  we  found  full 
of  filth  and  svvinp,  with  a  door  without  a  lock. 
I  thought  of  the  fate  of  the  cura's  mule,  and 
was  unwillino^  to  trust  the  horses  in  such  a 
place,  abandoning  them  to  the  mercy  of  any 
robber  in  the  neighbourhood.  I  therefore  en- 
tered the  house  and  said  resolutely,  that  I  was 
resolved  to  place  them  in  the  stable.  Two 
men  were  squatted  on  the  ground,  with  an  im- 
mense bowl  of  stewed  har«5  before  them,  on 
which  they  were  supping;  these  were  the  tra- 
velling merchants,  the  masters  of  the  mutes. 
I  passed  on  to  the  stable,  one  of  the  men  say- 
ing softly,  "Yes,  yes,  go  in  and  see  what  will 
befall."  I  had  no  sooner  entered  the  stable 
than  I  heard  a  horrid  discordant  cry,  something 
between  a  bray  and  a  yell,  and  the  largest  of 
the  maclios,  tearing  his  head  from  the  manger 
to  which  he  was  fastened,  his  eyes  shooting 
flames,  and  breathing  a  whirlwind  from  his 
nostrils,  flung  himself  on  my  stallion.  The 
horse,  as  savage  as  himself,  reared  on  his  hind 
legs,  and  after  the  fashion  of  an  English  pugi- 
list, repaid  the  other  with  a  pat  on  the  fore- 
head, which  nearly  felled  him,  A  combat  in- 
stantly ensued,  and  I  thought  that  the  words 
of  the  sullen  woman  would  be  verified  by  the 
house  being  torn  to  pieces.  It  ended  by  my 
seizing  the  mute  by  the  halter,  at  the  risk  of 
my  limbs,  and  hanging  upon  him  with  all  my 
weight,  whilst  Antonio,  with  much  difficulty, 
removed  the  horse.  The  man  who  had  been 
standing  at  the  entrance  now  came  forward, 
saying,  "This  would  not  have  happened  if 
you  had  taken  good  advice."  Upon  my  stat- 
ing to  him  the  unreasonableness  of  expecting 
that  I  would  risk  horses  in  a  place  where  they 
would  probably  be  stolen  before  the  morning, 
he  replied,  "True,  true,  you  have  perhaps 
done  right."  He  then  refastened  his  macho, 
adding  for  additional  security  a  piece  of  whip- 
cord, which  he  said  rendered  escape  im- 
possible. 

After  supper,  I  roamed  about  the  village. 
I  addressed  two  or  three  labourers  whom  I 
found  standing  at  their  doors  ;  they  appeared, 
however,  exceedingly  reserved,  and  with  a 
gruff"  buenas  noches"  turned  into  their  houses 
without  inviting  me  to  enter.  I  at  last  found 
my  way  to  the  church  porch,  where  I  con- 
tinned  some  time  in  meditation.  At  last  I  be- 
thought myself  of  retiring  to  rest;  before 
departing,  however,  I  took  out  and  affixed  to 
the  porch  of  the  church  an  advertisement  to 
the  effect  that  the  New  Testament  was  to  be 
purchased  at  Salamanca.  On  returning  to 
the  house,  I  found  the  two  travelling  mer- 
chants enjoying  profound  slumber  on  various 
mantas  or  mule-cloths  stretched  on  the  floor. 
"You  are  a  French  merchant,  I  suppose, 
Caballero,"  said  a  man,  who  it  seemed  was 
the  master  of  the  house,  and  whom  I  had  not 
before  seen.  "  You  are  a  French  merchant,  I 
suppose,  and  are  on  the  way  to  the  fair  of  Me- 
dina." "lam  neither  Frenchman  nor  mer- 
chant," I  replied,  "  and  though  I  purpose 
passinj 
view  0 


one  of  the  Irish  Christians  from  Salamanca, 
Caballero,"  said  the  man  ;  "I hear  you  come 
from  that  town."  "  Why  do  you  call  them 
Irish  Christians  ?^^  1  repVied,  "Are  there  pa- 
gans in  their  country?"  "We  call  them 
Christians,"  said  the  man,  "  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  Irish  English,  who  are  worse 
than  pagans,  who  are  Jews  and  heretics."  I 
made  no  answer,  but  passed  on  to  the  room 
which  had  been  prepared  for  me,  and  from 
which,  the  door  being  ajar,  I  heard  the  follow- 
ing short  conversation  passing  between  the 
innkeeper  and  his  wife  : — 

Innkeeper. — Muger,  it  appears  to  me  that 
we  have  evil  guests  in  the  house. 

Wife. — You  mean  the  last  comers,  the 
Caballero  and  his  servant.  Yes,  1  never  saw 
worse  countenances  in  my  life. 

Innkeeper. — I  do  not  like  the  servant,  and 
still  less  the  master.  He  has  neither  for- 
mality nor  politeness :  he  tells  me  that  he  is 
not  French,  and  when  I  spoke  to  him  of  the 
Irish  Christians,  he  did  nor  seem  to  belong  to 
them.  I  more  than  suspect  that  he  is  a  heretic 
or  a  Jew  at  least. 

Wife. — Perhaps  they  are  both.  Maria  San- 
tissima !  what  shall  we  do  to  purify  the  house 
when  they  are  gone  1 

Innkeeper. — O,  as  for  that  matter,  we  must 
of  course  charge  it  in  the  cuenta. 

I  slept  soundly,  and  rather  late  in  the  morn- 
ing arose  and  breakfasted,  and  paid  the  bill,  in 
which  by  its  extravagance,  I  found  the  purifi- 
cation had  not  been  forgotten.  The  travelling 
merchants  had  departed  at  daybreak.  We  now 
led  forth  the  horses  and  mounted ;  there  were 
several  people  at  the  door  staring  at  us. 
"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  said  I  t<v 
Antonio. 

"  It  is  whispered  that  we  are  no  Christians," 
said  Antonio ;  "  they  have  come  to  cross  them- 
selves at  our  departure." 

In  effect,  the  moment  that  we  rode  forward 
a  dozen  hands  at  least  were  busied  in  thia 
evil-averting  ceremony.  Antonio  instantly 
turned  and  crossed  himself  in  the  Greek  fash- 
ion,— much  more  complex  and  difficult  than 
the  Catholic. 

^^Mirad  que  Saniiguo!  que  Santiguo  ds 
los  demonios .'"  exclaimed  many  voices, 
whilst  for  fear  of  consequences  we  hastened 
away. 

The  day  was  exceedingly  hot,  and  we 
wended  our  way  slowly  along  the  plains  of 
Old  Castile.  With  all  that  pertains  to  Spain, 
vastness  and  sublimity  are  associated  :  grand 
are  its  mountains,  and  no  less  grand  are  its 
plains,  which  seem  of  boundless  extent,  but 
which  are  not  tame  unbroken  flats,  like  the 
steppes  of  Russia.  Rough  and  uneven  ground 
is  continually  occurring :  here  a  deep  ravine 
and  gully  worn  by  the  wintry  torrent;  yonder 
an  eminence  not  unfrequently  craggy  and 
savage,  at  whose  top  appears  the  lone  solitary 
village.  There  is  little  that  is  blithesome 
and  cheerful,  but  much  that  is  melancholy. 


A  few  solitary  rustics  are  occasionally  seen 
through  Medina,  it  is  not  with  the  [toiling  in  the  fields — fields  without  limit  or 
attending  the  fair."     "  Then  you  are  I  boundary,  where  the  green  oak,  the  elm  or  the 


94 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


ash  are  unknown;  where  only  the  sad  and 
desolate  pine  displays  its  pyramid-like  form, 
and  where  no  grass  is  to  be  found.  And  who 
are  the  travellers  of  these  districts  1  For  ihe 
most  part  arrieros,  with  their  long  trains  of 
mules  hung  with  monotonous  tinkling  bells. 
Behold  them  with  their  brown  faces,  brown 
dresses,  and  bioad  slouched  hatg; — the  arrie- 
ros, the  true  lords  of  the  roads  of  Spain,  and 
to  whom  more  respect  is  paid  in  these  dusty 
ways  than  to  dukes  and  condes  ; — the  arrieros, 
sullen,  proud,  and  rarely  courteous,  whose 
deep  voices  may  be  sometimes  heard  at  the 
distance  of  a  mile,  either  cheering  the  slug- 
gish animals  or  shortening  the  dreary  way 
with  savage  and  dissonant  songs. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  we  reached  Medina 
Del  Campo,  formerly  one  of  the  principal 
cities  of  Spain,  though  at  present  an  incon- 
siderable place.  Immense  ruins  surround  it 
in  every  direction,  attesting  the  former  gran- 
deur of  this  "city  of  the  plain."  The  great 
square  or  market  place  is  a  remarkable  spot, 
surrounded  by  a  heavy  massive  piazza,  over 
which  rise  black  buildings  of  great  antiquity. 
We  found  the  town  crovrded  with  people 
awaiting  the  fair,  which  was  to  be  held  in  a 
day  or  two.  We  experienced  some  difficulty 
in  obtaining  admission  into  the  posada,  which 
was  chiefly  occupied  by  Catalans  from  Valla- 
dolid.  These  people  not  only  brought  with 
them  their  merchandize  but  their  wives  and 
children.  Some  of  them  appeared  to  be  peo- 
ple of  the  worst  description  :  there  was  one  in 
particular,  a  burly  savage  looking  fellow,  of 
about  forty,  whose  conduct  was  atrocious  ;  he 
sat  with  his  wife,  or  perhaps  concubine,  at 
the  door  of  a  room  which  opened  upon  the 
court :  he  was  continually  venting  horrible 
and  obscene  oaths,  both  in  Spanish  and  Cata- 
lan. The  woman  was  remarkably  handsome, 
but  robust  and  seemingly  as  savage  as  him- 
self; her  conversation  likewise  was  as  fright- 
ful as  his  own.  Both  seemed  to  be  under  the 
influence  of  an  incomprehensible  fury.  At 
last,  upon  some  observation  from  the  woman, 
he  started  up,  and  drawing  a  long  knife  from 
his  girdle,  stabbed  at  her  naked  bosom  ;  she, 
however,  interposed  the  palm  of  her  hand, 
which  was  much  cut.  He  stood  for  a  mo- 
ment viewing  the  blood  trickling  upon  the 
ground,  whilst  she  held  up  her  wounded 
hand,  then  with  an  astounding  oath  he  hurried 
up  the  court  to  the  Plaza.  I  went  up  to  the 
woman  and  said,  "  What  is  the  cause  of  this  1 
I  hope  the  ruffian  has  not  seriously  injured 
you."  She  turned  her  countenance  upon  me 
with  the  glance  of  a  demon,  and  at  last  with 
a  sneer  of  contempt  exclaimed,  "  Cardls,  que  es 
eso  ?  Cannot  a  Catalan  gentleman  be  con- 
versing with  his  lady  upon  their  own  private 
affairs  without  being  interrupted  by  you  V 
She  then  bound  up  her  hand  with  a  handker- 
chief, and  going  into  the  room  broughta  small 
table  to  the  door,  on  which  she  placed  several 
things  as  if  for  the  evening's  repast,  and  then 
sat  down  on  a  stool :  presently  returned  the 
Catalan,  and  without  a  word  took  his  seat  on 
the  threshold;  then,  as  if  nothing  bad   oc- 


curred, the  extraordinary  couple  commenced 
eating  and  drinking,  interlarding  their  meal 
with  oaths  and  jests. 

We  spent  the  night  at  Medina,  and  depart- 
ing early  next  morning,  passed  through  much 
the  san>e  country  as  the  day  before,  until 
about  noon  we  reached  a  small  venta,  distant 
half  a  league  from  the  Duero ;  here  we  re- 
posed ourselves  during  the  heat  of  the  day, 
and  then  remounting,  crossed  the  river  by  a 
handsome  stone  bfidge,  and  directed  our  course 
to  Valladolid.  The  banks  of  the  Duero  in 
this  place  have  much  beauty :  they  abound 
with  trees  and  brushwood,  amongst  which, as 
we  passed  along,  various  birds  were  singing 
melodiously.  A  delicious  coolness  proceeded 
from  the  water,  which  in  some  paits  brawled 
over  stones  or  rippled  fleetly  over  white  sand, 
and  in  others  glided  softly  over  blue  pools  of 
considerable  depth.  By  the  side  of  one  of 
these  last,  sat  a  woman  of  about  thirty,  neatly 
dressed  as  a  peasant:  she  was  gazing  upon 
the  water  into  which  she  occasionally  flung 
flowers  and  twigs  of  trees.  I  stopped  for  a 
moment  to  ask  a  question ;  she,  however, 
neither  looked  up  nor  answered,  but  continued 
gazing  at  the  water  as  if  lost  to  consciousness 
of  all  beside.  "  Who  is  that  woman  ?"  said 
I  to  a  shepherd,  whom  I  met  the  moment  after. 
"  She  is  mad,  la  pobrecita,"  said  he ;  "  she 
lost  her  child  about  a  month  ago  in  that  pool, 
and  she  has  been  mad  ever  since;  they  are 
going  to  send  her  to  Valladolid,  to  the  Casa 
de  los  Locos.  There  are  many  who  perish 
every  year  in  the  eddies  of  the  Duero;  it  is  a 
bad  river ;  vaya  usted  con  la  Virgen,  CabaU 
lero."  So  I  rode  on  through  the  pinares,  or 
thin  scanty  pine  forests,  which  skirt  the  way 
to  Valladolid  in  this  direction. 

Valladolid  is  seated  in  the  midst  of  an  im- 
mense valley,  or  rather  hollow,  Avhich  seems 
to  have  been  scooped  by  some  mighty  con- 
vulsion out  of  the  plain  ground  of  Castile. 
The  eminences  which  appear  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood are  not  properly  high  grounds,  but 
are  rather  the  sides  of  this  hollow.  They  are 
jagged  and  precipitous,  and  exhibit  a  strange 
and  uncouth  appearance.  Volcanic  force 
seems  at  some  distant  period  to  have  been 
busy  in  these  districts.  Valladolid  abounds 
with  convents,  at  present  deserted,  which 
afford  some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  archi- 
tecture in  Spain.  The  principal  church, 
though  rather  ancient,  is  unfinished  :  it  was 
intended  to  be  a  building  of  vast  size,  but  the 
means  of  the  founders  were  insufficient  to 
carry  out  their  plan  :  it  is  built  of  rough  gran- 
ite. Valladolid  is  a  manufacturing  town,  but 
the  commerce  is  chiefly  in  the  hands  of  the 
Catalans,  of  whom  there  is  a  colony  of  nearly 
three  hundred  established  here.  It  possesses 
a  beautiful  alameda  or  public  walk,  through 
which  flows  the  river  Escurva.  The  popu- 
lation is  said  to  amount  to  sixty  thousand 
souls. 

We  put  up  at  the  Posada  de  las  Diligen- 
cias,  a  very  magnificent  edifice  :  this  posada, 
however,  we  were  glad  to  quit  on  the  second 
day  after  our  arrival^  the  accommodatioa 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


95 


being  of  the  most  wretched  description,  and 
the  incivility  of  the  people  great;  the  master 
of  the  house,  an  immense  tall  fellow,  with 
huge  moustachios  and  an  assumed  military 
air,  being  far  too  high  a  cavalier  to  attend  to 
the  wants  of  his  guests,  with  whom,  it  is 
true,  he  did  not  appear  to  be  overburdened, 
as  I  saw  no  one  but  Antonio  and  myself.  He 
was  a  leading  man  amongst  ihe  national 
guards  of  Valladolid,  and  delighted  in  para- 
ding about  the  city  on  a  clumsy  steed,  which 
he  kept  in  a  subterranean  stable. 

Our  next  quarters  were  at  the  Trojan 
Horse,  an  ancient  posada,  kept  by  a  native 
of  the  Basque  provinces,  who  at  least  was 
not  above  his  business.  We  found  every 
thing  in  confusion  at  Valladolid,  a  visit  from 
tne  factious  being  speedily  expected.  All  the 
gales  were  blockaded,  and  various  forts  had 
been  built  to  cover  the  approaches  to  the 
city.  Shortly  after  our  departure  the  Carlisls 
actually  did  arrive,  under  the  command  of 
the  Biscayan  chief,  Zariategui.  They  ex- 
perienced no  opposition  ;  the  staunchest  na- 
tionals retiring  to  the  principal  fort,  which 
they,  however,  speedily  surrendered,  not  a 
gun  being  fired  throughout  the  affair.  As 
for  my  friend  the  hero  of  the  inn,  on  the  first 
rumour  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  he 
njounted  his  horse  and  rode  off",  and  was 
never  subsequently  heard  of.  On  our  return 
to  Valladolid,  we  found  the  inn  in  other  and 
better  hands,  those  of  a  Frenchman  from 
Bayonne,  from  whom  we  received  as  much 
civility  as  we  had  experienced  rudeness  from 
his  predecessor. 

In  a  few  days  I  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  the  bookseller  of  the  place,  a  kind-hearted 
simple  man,  who  willingly  undertook  the 
charge  of  vending  the  Testaments  which  I 
brought. 

I  found  literature  of  every  description  at 
the  lowest  ebb  at  Valladolid.  My  newly 
acquired  friend  merely  carried  on  bookseUing 
in  connexion  with  other  business;  it  being, 
as  he  assured  me,  in  itself  quite  insufficient 
to  afford  him  a  livelihood.  During  the  week, 
however,  that  I  continued  in  this  city,  a  con- 
siderable number  of  copies  were  disposed  of, 
and  a  fair  prospect  opened  that  many  more 
would  be  demanded.  To  call  attention  to 
my  books,  I  had  recourse  to  the  same  plan 
which  I  had  adopted  at  Salamanca,  the  affix- 
ing of  advertisements  to  the  walls.  Before 
leaving  the  city,  I  gave  orders  that  these 
should  be  renewed  every  week ;  from  pur- 
suing which  course  1  expected  that  much 
and  manifold  good  would  accrue,  as  the 
people  would  have  continual  opportunities 
of  learning  that  a  book  which  contains  the 
living  word  was  in  existence,  and  within 
their  reach,  which  might  induce  them  to 
secure  it  and  consult  it  even  unto  salvation. 

In  Valladolid  I  found  both  an  English  and 
Scotch  College.  From  my  obliging  friends, 
the  Irish  at  Salamanca,  I  bore  a  letter  of  in- 
troduction to  the  rector  of  the  latter.  I  found 
this  college  aa  old  gloomy  edifice^  situated 


in  a  retired  street.  The  rector  was  dressed 
in  the  habiliments  of  a  Spanish  ecclesiastic, 
a  character  which  he  was  evidently  ambi- 
tious of  assuming.  There  was  something 
dry  and  cold  in  his  manner,  and  nothing  of 
that  generous  warmth  and  eager  hospitality 
which  had  so  captivated  me  in  the  fine  Irish 
rector  of  Salamanca;  he  was,  however,  civil 
and  polite,  and  offered  to  shew  me  the  cu- 
riosities of  the  place.  He  evidently  knew 
who  I  was,  and  on  that  account  was,  per- 
haps, more  reserved  than  he  otherwise  would 
have  been :  not  a  word  passed  between  us 
on  religious  matters,  which  we  seemed  to 
avoid  by  common  consent.  Under  the  au- 
spices of  this  gentleman,  I  visited  the  college 
of  the  Philippine  Missions,  which  stands  be- 
yond the  gate  of  the  city,  where  I  was  intro- 
duced to  the  superior,  a  fine  old  man  of 
seventy,  very  stout,  in  the  habiliments  of  a 
friar.  There  was  an  air  of  placid  benignity 
on  his  countenance  which  highly  interested 
me  :  his  words  were  few  and  simple,  and  he 
seemed  to  have  bid  adieu  to  all  worldly  pas- 
sions. One  little  weakness  was,  however, 
still  clinging  to  him. 

Myself. — This  is  a  noble  edifice  in  which 
you  dwell.  Father;  I  should  think  it  would 
contain  at  least  two  hundred  students. 

Rector. — More,  my  son  :  it  is  intended  for 
more  hundreds  than  it  now  contains  single 
individuals. 

Myself. — I  observe  that  some  rude  at- 
tempts have  been  made  to  fortify  it ;  the  walls 
are  pierced  with  loopholes  in  every  direction. 

Rector. — The  nationals  of  Valladolid  visi- 
ted us  a  few  days  ago,  and  committed  much 
useless  damage  ;  they  were  rather  rude,  and 
threatened  me  with  their  clubs :  poor  men, 
poor  men. 

Myself. — I  suppose  that  even  these  mis- 
sions, which  are  certainly  intended  for  a  noble 
end,  experience  the  sad  eflTects  of  the  present 
convulsed  state  of  Spain  1 

Rector. — But  too  true  :  we  at  present  re- 
ceive no  assistance  from  the  government, 
and  are  left  to  the  Lord  and  ourselves. 

Myself. — How  many  aspirants  for  the  mis- 
sion are  you  at  present  instructing? 

Rector. — Not  one,  my  son ;  not  one.  They 
are  all  fled.  The  flock  is  scattered  and  the 
shepherd  left  alone. 

Myself. — Your  reverence  has  doubtless 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  mission  abroad  1 

Rector. — I  was  forty  years  in  the  Philip- 
pines, my  son  ;  forty  years  amongst  the  In- 
dians. Ah  me!  howl  love  those  Indians  of 
the  Philippines. 

Myself. — Can  your  reverence  discourse  in 
the  language  of  the  Indians? 

Rector. — No,  my  son.  We  teach  the  In- 
dians Castilian.  There  is  no  better  language, 
I  believe.  We  teach  them  Castilian,  and 
the  adoration  of  the  Virgin.  What  more 
need  they  know? 

Myself. — And  what  did  your  reverence 
think  of  the  Philippines  as  a  country? 

Rector. — I  was  forty  years  in  the  Philip- 
pines, but  I  know  little  of  the  country.    I  do 


96 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


not  like  the  country.  I  love  the  Indians. 
The  country  is  not  very  bad ;  it  is,  however, 
not  worth  Castile. 

MijseJf. — Is  your  reverence  a  Castilian? 

Rector. — I  am  an  Old  Castilian,  mv  son. 


From  the  house  of  the  Philippine  Missions   Sir  Cavalier? 


Myself. — I  should  have  thouorht  that  it  Is  at 
least  as  agreeable  as  Toro,  which  is  not  a 
third  part  so  large. 

Lady. — As  agreeable  as  Toro !  Vaya, 
vaya !     Were  you  ever  in  the  prison  of  Toro, 


my  friend  conducted  me  to  the  English  Col 
lege  :  this  establishment  seemed  in  every  re 
spect  to  be  on  a  more  magnificent  scale  than 
its  Scottish  sister.     In  the  latter  there  were 
few  pupils,  scarcely  six  or  seven,  I  believe, 
whilst,  in  the  English  seminary,  I  was  in- 
formed that  between  thirty  and  forty  were  re- 
ceiving  their  education.      It  is  a  beautiful 
building,  with  a  small  but  splendid  church, 
and   a  handsome  library.      The  situation  is 
light  and  airy  :  it  stands  by  itself  iu  an  un- 
frequented part  of  the  city,  and,  with  genuine 
English  exclusiveness,  is  surrounded  by  ahicrh 
wall,  which  incloses  a  delicious  garden.  This 
is  by  far  the  most  remarkable  establishment  of 
the  kind  in  the  Peninsula,  and  I  believe  the 
most  prosperous.      From   the  cursory   view 
which  I  enjoyed  of  its  interior,  I  of  course 
cannot  be  expected   to  know  much    of   its 
economy.     I  could  not,  however,  fail  to  be 
struck  with  the  order,  neatness,  and  system 
which  pervaded  it.     There  was,  however,  an 
air  of  severe  monastic  discipline,  though  I  am 
far  from  asserting  that  such  actually  existed. 
We  were  attPnded  throughout  by  the  sub-rec- 
tor, the  principal  being  absent.     Of  all   the 
curiosities  of  this  college,  the  mnst  remarka- 
ble is    the   picture   gallery,   which   contains 
neither  more  nor  less  than  the  portraits  of  a 
variety  of  scholars  of  this  house  who  eventu- 
ally suffered  martyrdom  in  England,  in  the 
exercise  of  their  vocation,  in  the  angry  times 
of  the    Sixth   Edward  and  fierce   Elizabeth. 
Yes,  in  this  very  house  were  many  of  those 
pale    smiling    half-foreign   priests  educated, 
who,  like  stealthy  grimalkins,  traversed  green 
England  in  all  directions  ;  crept  into  old  halls 
beneath    umbrageous  rookeries,  fanning  the 
dying  embers  of  Popery,  with  no  other  hope 
nor   perhaps  wish  than  to  perish  disembow- 
elled by  the  bloody  hands  of  the  executioner, 
amongst  the  yells  of  a  rabble  as  bigoted  as 
themselves  :  priests  like  Bedingfield  and  Gar- 
net, and  many  others  who  have  left  a  name  in 
English  story.      Doubtless  many  a  history, 
only  the  more  wonderful  for  being  true,  could 
be  wrought  out  of  the  archives  of  the  English 
Popish  seminary  at  Valladolid. 

There  was  no  lack  of  guests  at  the  Trojan 
Horse,  where  we  had  taken  up  our  abode  at 
Valladolid.  Amongst  others  who  arrived 
during  my  sojourn  was  a  robust  buxom  dame, 
exceedingly  well  dressed  in  black  silk,  with  a 
costly  mantilla.  She  was  accompanied  by  a 
very  handsome,  but  sullen  and  malicious  look- 
ing urchin  of  about  fifteen,  who  appeared  to  be 
her  son.  She  came  from  Toro,  a  place  about  a 
day's  journey  from  Valladolid,  and  celebrated 
for  its  wine.  One  night,  as  we  were  seated  in 
the  court  of  the  inn  enjoying  the  fresco,  the  fol- 
lowing conversation  ensued  between  us. 

Lady. — Vaya,  vaya,  what  a  tiresome  place 
is  Valladolid  !     How  diflferent  from  Toro ! 


Myself. — I  have  never  had  that  hononr  :  the 
prison  is  generally  the  last  place  which  I  think 
of  visiting. 

Lady. — Seethe  difference  of  tastes  :  I  have 
been  to  see  the  prison  of  Valladolid,  and  i 
seems  as  tiresome  as  the  town. 

Myself — Of  course,  if  grief  and  tedioiisness 
exist  anywhere,  you  will  find  them  in  the  prison. 
Jjndy. — Not  in  that  of  Toro. 
Myself. — What  does  that  of  Toro  possess  to 
distinguish  it  from  all  others'? 

Lady. — What  does  it  possess  1  Vaya  !  Am 
I  not  the  carcelera  ?  Is  not  my  husband  the 
alcayde?  Is  not  that  son  of  mine  a  child  of 
the  prison  1 

Myself. — I  beg  your  pardon,  I  was  not 
aware  of  that  circumstance  ;  it  of  course  makes 
much  difference. 

Lady — I  believe  you.  I  am  a  daughter  of 
that  prison  :  ray  father  was  alcayde,  and  my 
son  might  hope  to  be  so,  were  he  not  a  fool. 

Myself. — His  countenance  then  belies  him 
strangely  :  I  should  be  loth  to  purchase  that 
youngster  for  a  fool. 

Gaokress. — You  would  have  a  fine  bargain 
if  J'ou  did;  he  has  more  picardias  than  any 
Calabozero  in  Toro.  What  I  mean  is,  that 
he  does  not  take  to  the  prison  as  he  ought  to 
do,  considering  what  his  f^.thers  were  before 
him.  He  has  too  much  pride — too  many 
fancies ;  and  he  has  at  length  persuaded  me 
to  bring  him  to  Valladolid,  where  I  have  ar- 
ranged with  a  merchant  who  lives  in  the 
Plaza  to  take  him  on  trial.  I  wish  he  may 
not  find  his  way  to  the  prison:  if  he  do,  he 
will  find  that  being  a  prisoner  is  a  very  diffe- 
rent thing  from  being  a  son  of  the  prison. 

Myself. — As  there  is  so  much  merriment  at 
Toro,  you  of  course  attend  to  the  comfort  of 
your  prisoners. 

Gaokress. — Yes,  we  are  very  kind  to  them  ; 
I  mean  to  those  who  are  cahalleros;  but  as 
for  those  with  vermin  and  miseria,  what  can 
we  do?  It  is  a  merry  prison  that  of  Toro ; 
we  allow  as  mucTi  wine  to  enter  as  the  pri- 
soners can  purchase  and  pay  duty  for.  This 
of  Valladolid  is  not  half  so  gay:  there  is  no 
prison  like  Toro.  I  learned  there  to  play  on 
the  guitar.  An  Andalusian  cavalier  taught 
me  to  touch  the  guitar  and  to  singa,  la  Gitana. 
Poor  fellow,  he  was  my  first  novio.  Juanito, 
bring  me  the  guitar,  that  I  may  play  this  gen- 
tleman a  tune  of  Andalusia. 

The  carcelera  had  a  fine  voice,  and  touched 
the  favourite  instrument  of  the  Spaniards  in  a 
truly  masterly  manner.  I  remained  listening 
to  her  performance  for  nearly  an  hour,  when  I 
retired  to  my  apartn)ent  and  my  repose.  I 
believe  that  she  continued  playing  and  sing- 
ing durinj  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  for  as 
I  occasionally  awoke  I  could  still  bear  her; 
and,  even  in  my  slumbers,  the  strings  were 
ringing  in  my  cars. 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


97 


CHAPTEU  XXII. 

IJuenas — Children    of    Egypt — Jockeyism — The    Baggage    Pony — The    Fall — Palencia — Carlist 
Priests — The  Look  Out — Priestly  Sincerity — Leon — Antonio  Alarmed — Heat  and  Dust. 


After  a  sojourn  of  about  ten  days  at  Val- 
ladolid,  we  directed  our  course  towards  Leon. 
We  arrived  about  noon  at  Duenas,  a  town  at 
the  distance  of  six  short  leagues  from  Val- 
ladolid.  It  is  in  every  respect  a  singular 
place:  it  stands  on  a  rising  ground,  and  di- 
rectly above  it  towers  a  sleep  conical  moun- 
tain of  calcareous  earth,  crowned  by  a  ruined 
castle.  Around  Dueiias  are  seen  a  multitude 
of  caves  scooped  in  tlie  high  banks  and  se- 
cured with  strong  doors.  These  are  cellars, 
in  which  is  deposited  the  wine,  of  which 
abundance  is  grown  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  which  is  chiefly  sold  to  the  Navarrese 
and  the  mountaineers  of  Santander,  who 
arrive  in  cars  drawn  by  oxen,  and  convey  it 
away  in  large  quantities.  We  put  up  at  a 
mean  posada  in  the  suburb  for  the  purpose  of 
refreshing  our  horses.  Several  cavalry  sol- 
diers were  quartered  there,  who  instantly  came 
forth,  and  began,  with  the  eyes  of  connois- 
seurs, to  inspect  my  Andalusian  entero.  "  A 
capita!  horse  that  would  be  for  our  troop," 
said  the  corporal ;  what  a  chest  he  has.  By 
what  right  do  you  travel  with  that  horse, 
Siieor,  when  so  many  are  wanted  for  the 
Queen's  service  ?  He  belongrs  to  therequiso." 
"  I  travel  with  him  by  right  of  purchase,  and 
being  an  Englishman,"  I  replied.  "  Oh, 
your  worship  is  an  Englishman,"  answered 
the  corporal;  "  that,  indeed,  alters  the  mat- 
ter; the  English  in  Spain  are  allowed  to  do 
what  they  please  with  their  own,  which  is 
more  than  the  Spaniards  are.  Cavalier,  I 
have  seen  your  countrymen  in  the  Basque 
provinces ;  Vaya,  what  riders !  what  horses  ! 
They  do  not  fight  badly  either.  But  their 
chief  skill  is  in  riding  :  I  have  seen  them  dash 
over  barrancos  to  get  at  the  factious,  who 
thought  themselves  quite  secure,  and  then 
they  would  fall  upon  them  on  a  sudden  and 
kill  them  to  a  man.  In  truth,  your  worship, 
this  is  a  fine  horse,  I  must  look  at  his  teeth." 

I  looked  at  the  corporal — his  nose  and  eyes 
were  in  the  horse's  mouth  :  the  rest  of  the 
party,  who  might  amount  to  six  or  seven, 
were  not  less  busily  engaged.  One  was  ex- 
amining his  fore  feet,  another  his  hind  ;  one 
fellow  was  pulling  at  his  tail  with  all  his 
might,  while  another  pinched  the  windpipe, 
for  the  purpose  of  discovering  whether  the 
animal  was  at  all  touched  there.  At  last, 
perceiving  that  the  corporal  was  about  to  re- 
move the  saddle  that  he  might  examine  the 
back  of  the  animal,  I  exclaimed  : — 

"  Stay,  ye  chabes  of  Egypt,  ye  forget  that 
ye  are  htindunares,  and  are  no  longer  parugu- 
ing  grastes  in  the  chardy." 

The  corporal  at  these  words  turned  his 
face  full  upon  me,  and  so  did  all  the  rest. 
13 


Yes,  sure  enough,  there  were  the  counte- 
nances of  Egypt,  and  the  fixed  filmy  stare  of 
eye.  We  continued  looking  at  each  other  for 
a  minute  at  least,  when  the  corporal,  a  vil- 
lanous  looking  fellow,  at  last  said,  in  the 
richest  gipsy  whine  imaginable,  "the  erray 
knows  us,  the  poor  Calore !  And  he  an 
Englishman!  BuUati!  1  should  not  have 
thought  that  there  was  e'er  a  Busno  would 
know  us  in  these  parts,  where  Gitanos  are 
never  seen.  Yes,  your  worship  is  right;  we 
are  all  here  of  the  blood  of  the  Calore :  we 
are  from  Melegrana  (Granada,)  yourworship; 
they  took  us  from  thence  and  sent  us  to  the  wars. 
Your  worship  is  right,  the  sight  of  that  horse 
made  us  believe  we  were  at  home  again  in 
the  mercado  of  Granada ;  he  is  a  country- 
man of  ours,  a  real  Andalou.  For  dios,  your 
worship,  sell  us  that  horse:  we  are  poor 
Calore,  but  we  can  buy  him." 

"  You  forgot  that  you  are  soldiers,"  said 
I.     "How  should  you  buy  my  horse  ]" 

"  We  are  soldiers,  your  worship,"  said  the 
corporal,  "but  we  are  still  Calore;  we  buy 
and  sell  bestis  ;  the  captain  of  our  troop  is  in 
league  with  us.  We  have  been  to  the  wars, 
but  not  to  fight;  we  left  that  to  the  Busne. 
We  have  kept  together,  and,  like  true  Calore, 
have  stood  back  to  back.  We  have  made 
money  in  the  wars,  your  worship.  No  fenga 
usted  cuidao.    We  can  buy  your  horse." 

Here  he  pulled  out  a  purse,  which  con- 
tained at  least  ten  ounces  of  gold. 

"If  I  were  willing  to  sell,"  I  replied, 
"  what  would  you  give  me  for  that  horse  ■?" 

"Then  your  worsbip  wishes  to  sell  your 
horse — that  alters  the  matter.  We  will  give 
ten  dollars  for  your  worship's  horse.  He  is 
good  for  nothing." 

"How  is  this?"  said  I.  "You  this  mo- 
ment told  me  that  he  was  a  fine  horse,  an 
Andalusian,  and  a  countryman  of  yours." 

"  No,  Senor  !  we  did  not  say  that  he  was 
an  Andalou.  We  said  he  was  an  Kstremou, 
and  the  worst  of  his  kind.  He  is  eighteen 
years  old,  your  worship,  short  winded  and 
galled." 

"I  do  not  wish  to  sell  my  horse,"  said 
I;  "quite  the  contrary;  I  had  rather  buy 
than  sell." 

"  Your  worship  does  not  wish  to  sell  his 
horse,"  said  the  gipsy.  "  Slay,  your 
worship,  we  will  give  sixty  dollars  for  your 
worship's  horse." 

"  I  would  not  sell  him  for  two  hundred  and 
sixty.  Med  is  !  Meclis !  say  no  more.  I 
know  your  gipsy  tricks.  I  will  have  no 
dealings  with  you." 

"  Did  [  not  hear  your  worship  say  that 
you  wished  to  bay  a  horse  1"  said  the  gipsy. 


•e 


THE   BIBLE   IN  SPAIN. 


"  I  do  not  want  to  buy  a  horse,"  said  I ; 
"  if  I  need  any  thing,  it  is  a  pony  to  carry  our 
bagorage:  but  it  is  getting  late.  Antonio, 
pay  the  reckoning." 

"  Stay,  your  worship,  do  not  be  in  a  hurry," 
said  the  gipsy ;  "  I  have  got  the  very  pony 
which  will  suit  you." 

Without  waiting  for  my  answer,  he  hur- 
ried into  the  stable,  from  whence  he  presently 
returned,  leading  an  animal  by  a  halter.  It 
was  a  pony  of  about  thirteen  hands  high,  of 
a  dark  red  colour;  it  was  very  much  galled 
all  over,  the  marks  of  ropes  and  thongs  being 
visible  on  its  hide.  The  figure,  however,  was 
good,  and  there  was  an  extraordinary  bright- 
ness in  its  eye. 

"There,  your  worship,"  said  the  gipsy; 
"  there  is  the  best  pony  in  all  Spain." 

•'  What  do  you  mean  by  showing  me  this 
wretched  creature  1"  said  I. 

"  This  wretched  creature,"  said  the  gipsy, 
"is  a  better  horse  than  your  Andalou!" 

"  Perhaps  you  would  not  exchange,"  said 
I,  smiling. 

"  Senor,  what  I  say  is,  that  he  shall  run 
with  your  Andalou  and  beat  him!" 

"  He  looks  feeble,"  said  I ;  "  his  work  is 
well  nigh  done." 

"  Feeble  as  he  is,  Senor,  you  could  not  ma- 
nage him;  no,  nor  any  Englishman  in 
Spain." 

I  looked  at  the  creature  again,  and  was 
still  more  struck  with  its  figure.  I  was  in 
need  of  a  pony  to  relieve  occasionally  the 
horse  of  Antonio  in  carrying  the  baggage 
which  we  had  brought  from  Madrid,  and 
though  the  condition  of  this  was  wretched,  I 
thought  that  by  kind  treatment  I  might  possibly 
soon  bring  him  round. 

"  May  I  mount  this  animal?"  I  demanded. 

"  He  is  a  baggage  pony,  Senor,  and  is  ill 
to  mount.  He  will  suffer  none  but  myself 
to  mount  him,  who  am  his  master.  When  he 
once  commences  running,  nothing  will  stop 
him  but  the  sea.  He  springs  over  hills  and 
mountains,  and  leaves  them  behind  in  a 
moment.  If  you  will  mount  him,  Senor, 
suffer  me  to  fetch  a  bridle,  for  you  can  never 
hold  him  in  with  the  halter." 

"  This  is  nonsense,"  said  I.  "  You  pre- 
tend that  he  is  spirited  in  order  to  enhance 
the  price.     I  tell  you  his  work  is  done." 

I  took  the  halter  in  my  hand  and  mounted.  I 
was  no  sooner  on  his  back  than  the  creature, 
who  had  before  stood  stone  still,  without  dis- 
playing the  slightest  inclination  to  move,  and 
who  in  fact  gave  no  fartherindicationof  exist- 
tence  than  occasionally  rolling  his  eyes  and 
pricking  up  an  ear,  sprang  forward  like  a  race- 
horse, at  a  most  desperate  gallop.  I  had  ex- 
pected that  he  might  kick  or  fling  himself 
down  on  the  ground,  in  order  to  get  rid  of 
his  burden,  but  for  this  escapade  I  was  quite 
unprepared.  I  had  no  difficulty,  however,  in 
keeping  on  his  back,  having  been  accustomed 
from  my  childhood  to  ride  without  a  saddle. 
To  stop  him,  however,  baffled  all  my  endea- 
tours,  and  I  almost  began  to  pay  credit  to  the 
words  of  the  gipsy,  who  had   said  that  he 


would  run  on  until  he  reached  the  sea.  f 
had,  however,  a  strong  arm,  and  I  tugged  at 
the  halter  until  1  compelled  him  to  turn 
slightly  his  neck,  which  from  its  stiffness 
might  almost  have  been  of  wood  ;  he,  how- 
ever, did  not  abate  his  speed  for  a  moment. 
On  the  left  side  of  the  road  down  which  he 
was  dashing  was  a  deep  trench,  just  where 
the  road  took  a  turn  towards  the  right,  and 
over  this  he  sprang  in  a  sideward  direction  ; 
the  halter  broke  with  the  effort,  the  pony  shot 
forward  like  an  arrow,  whilst  I  fell  back  into 
the  dust. 

"Senor!"  said  the  gipsy,  coming  up 
with  the  most  serious  countenance  in  the 
world,  "  I  told  you  not  to  mount  that  animal 
unless  well  bridled  and  bitted.  He  is  a  bag- 
gage pony,  and  will  suffer  none  to  mount  his 
back,  with  the  exception  of  myself,  who  feed 
him."  (Here  he  whistled,  and  the  animal, 
who  was  scurrying  over  the  field,  and  occa- 
sionally kicking  up  his  heels,  instantly  re- 
turned with  a  gentle  neigh.)  "Now,  your 
worship,  see  how  gentle  he  is.  He  is  a 
capital  baggage  pony,  and  will  carry  all  you 
have  over  the  hills  of  Galicia." 

"What  do  you  ask  for  him  1"  said  I. 

"Senor,  as  your  worship  is  an  Englishman, 
and  a  good  ginete,  and,  moreover,  understands 
the  ways  of  the  Galore,  and  their  tricks  and 
their  language  also,  I  will  sell  him  to  you  a 
bargain.  I  will  take  two  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars  for  him,  and  no  less." 

"That  is  a  large  sum,"  said  I. 

"  No,  Senor,  not  at  all,  considering  that  he 
is  a  baggage  pony,  and  belongs  to  the  troop, 
and  is  not  mine  to  sell." 

Two  hours'  ride  brought  us  to  Palencia,  a 
fine  old  town,  beautifully  situated  on  the  Car- 
rion, and  famous  for  its  trade  in  wool.  We 
put  up  at  the  best  posada  which  the  place  af- 
forded, and  I  forthwith  proceeded  to  visit  one 
of  the  principal  merchants  of  the  town,  to 
whom  I  was  recommended  by  my  banker  in 
Madrid.  I  was  told,  however,  that  he  was 
taking  his  siesta.  "Then  I  had  better  take 
my  own,"  said  I,  and  returned  to  the  posada. 
In  the  evening  I  went  again,  when  I  saw 
him.  He  was  a  short  bulky  man,  about 
thirty,  and  received  me  at  first  with  some 
degree  of  bluntness;  his  manner,  however, 
presently  became  more  kind,  at  last  he 
scarcely  appeared  to  know  how  to  show  me 
sufficient  civility.  His  brother  had  just  ar- 
rived from  Santander,  and  to  him  he  intro- 
duced me.  This  last  was  a  highly  intelligent 
person,  and  had  passed  many  years  of  his  life 
in  England.  They  both  insisted  upon  show- 
ing me  the  town,  and,  indeed,  led  me  all 
over  it,  and  about  the  neighbourhood.  I  par- 
ticularly admired  the  cathedral,  a  light,  ele- 
gant, but  ancient  Gothic  edifice.  Whilst  we 
walked  about  the  aisles,  the  evening  sun 
pouring  its  mellow  rays  through  the  arched 
windows,  illumined  some  beautiful  paintings 
of  Murillo,  with  which  the  sacred  edifice  is 
adorned.  From  the  church  my  friends  con- 
ducted me  to  a  fulling  mill  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, by  a  picturesque  walk.     There  was  no 


THE   BIBLE   IN  SPAIN. 


99 


lack  either  of  trees  or  water,  and  I  remarked, 
ihat  the  environs  of  Palencia  were  among^st 
the  most  pleasant  places  that  1  had  ever  seen. 

Tired  at  last  with  rambling,  we  repaired 
to  a  coffee-house,  where  they  regaled  me 
with  chocolate  and  sweetmeats.  Such  was 
their  hospitality;  and  of  hospitality  of  this 
simple  and  agreeable  kind  there  is  much  in 
Spain. 

On  the  next  day  we  pursued  our  journey,  a 
dreary  one,  for  the  most  part,  over  bleak  and 
barren  plains,  interspersed  with  silent  and 
cheerless  towns  and  villages,  which  stood  at 
the  distance  of  two  or  three  leagues  from  each 
other.  About  midday  we  obtained  a  dim  and 
distant  view  of  an  immense  range  of  moun- 
tains, which  are  in  fact  those  which  bound 
Castile  on  the  north.  The  day,  however,  be- 
came dim  and  obscure,  and  we  speedly  lost 
sight  of  them.  A  hollow  wind  now  arose  and 
blew  over  these  desolate  plains  with  violence, 
wafting  clouds  of  dust  into  our  faces ;  the 
rays  of  the  sun  were  few,  and  those  red  and 
angry.  I  was  tired  of  my  journey,  and  when 
about  four  we  reached  *****,  a  large  vil- 
lage, halfway  between  Palencia  and  Leon,  I 
declared  my  intention  of  stopping  for  the  night. 
I  scarcely  ever  saw  a  more  desolate  place  than 
this  same  town  or  village  of  *  *  *  *  *.  The 
houses  were  for  the  most  part  large,  but  the 
walls  were  of  mud,  like  those  of  barns.  We 
saw  no  person  in  the  long  winding  street  to 
direct  us  to  the  venta,  or  posada,  till  at  last,  at 
the  farther  end  of  the  place,  we  descried  two 
black  figures  standing  at  a  door,  of  whom,  on 
making  enquiry,  we  learned  that  the  door  at 
which  they  stood  was  that  of  the  house  we 
were  in  quest  of.  There  was  something 
strange  in  the  appearance  of  these  two  beings, 
who  seemed  the  genii  of  the  place.  One  was 
a  small  slim  man,  about  fifty,  with  sharp  ill- 
natured  features.  He  was  dressed  in  coarse 
black  worsted  stockings,  black  breeches,  and 
an  ample  black  coat  with  long  trailing  skirts. 
I  should  at  once  have  taken  him  for  an  eccle- 
siastic, but  for  his  hat,  which  had  nothing 
clerical  about  it,  being  a  pinched  diminutive 
beaver.  His  companion  was  of  low  stature, 
and  a  much  younger  man.  He  was  dressed 
in  similar  fashion,  save  that  he  wore  a  dark 
blue  cloak.  Both  carried  walking-sticks  in 
their  hands,  and  kept  hovering  about  the  door, 
now  within  and  now  without,  occasionally 
looking  up  the  road,  as  if  they  expected  some 
one. 

"  Trust  me,  mon  maitre,"  said  Antonio  to 
me,  in  French,  "those  two  ft^llowsare  Carlist 
priests,  and  are  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
Pre  te  nd  er.     Les  imbecilles ! ' ' 

We  conducted  our  horses  to  the  stable,  to 
which  we  were  shown  by  the  woman  of  the 
house.     ♦'  Who  are  those  men?"  said  I  to  her. 

"The  eldest  is  head  curate  to  our  pueblo," 
said  she ;  "  the  other  is  brother  to  my  husband. 
Pobtecito!  he  was  a  friar  in  our  convent  be- 
fore it  was  shut  up  and  the  brethren  driven 
forth." 

We  returned  to  the  door.  "  I  suppose,  gen 
tlemen,"  said  the  curate,  *'  that  you  are  Cata- 


lans. Do  you  bring  any  news  from  that 
kingdom  V 

"  Why  do  you  suppose  we  are  Catalans'?" 
I  demanded. 

"  Because  I  heard  you  this  moment  con- 
versing in  that  language." 

"  I  bring  no  news  from  Catalonia,"  said  I. 
"I  believe,  however,  that  the  greater  part  of 
that  principality  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Carlists." 

"Ahem,  brother  Pedro!  This  gentleman 
says  that  the  greater  part  of  Catalonia  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  royalists.  Pray  sir,  where 
may  Don  Carlos  be  at  present  with  his  army  1" 

"  He  may  be  coming  down  the  road  this 
moment,"  said  I,  "  for  what  I  know ;"  and, 
stepping  out,  I  looked  up  the  way. 

The  two  figures  were  at  my  side  in  a  mo- 
ment; Antonio  followed,  and  we  all  four 
looked  intently  up  the  road. 

"  Do  you  see  any  thing  1"  said  I  at  last  to 
Antonio. 

"  Non,  mon  maitre." 

"  Do  you  see  anything,  sir  V  said  I  to  the 
curate. 

"  I  see  nothing,"  said  the  curate,  stretching 
out  his  neck. 

"  I  see  nothing,"  said  Pedro,  the  ex-friar; 
"I  see  nothing  but  the  dust,  which  is  becom- 
ing every  moment  more  blinding." 

"I  shall  go  in,  then,"  said  I.  "  Indeed,  it 
is  scarcely  prudent  to  be  standing  here  looking 
out  for  the  Pretender  :  should  the  nationals  of 
the  town  hear  of  it,  they  might  perhaps  shoot 
us." 

"Ahem,"  said  the  curate,  following  me; 
"  there  are  no  nationals  in  this  place  :  I  would 
fain  see  what  inhabitant  would  dare  become  a 
national.  When  the  vecinos  of  this  place 
were  ordered  to  take  up  arms  as  nationals, 
they  refused  to  a  man,  and  on  that  account  we 
had  to  pay  a  mulct;  therefore,  friend,  you  may 
speak  out  if  you  have  anything  to  communi- 
cate; we  are  all  of  your  opinion  here." 

"I  am  of  no  opinion  at  all,"  said  I,  "save 
that  I  want  my  supper.  I  am  neither  for  Rey 
nor  Roque,  You  say  that  I  am  a  Catalan, 
and  you  know  that  Catalans  think  only  of 
their  own  affairs." 

In  the  evening  I  strolled  by  myself  about 
the  village,  which  I  found  still  more  forlorn 
and  melancholy  than  it  at  first  appeared  ;  per- 
haps, however,  it  had  been  a  place  of  conse- 
quence in  its  time.  In  one  corner  of  it  I  found 
the  ruins  of  a  large  clumsy  castle,  chiefly 
built  of  flint  stones:  into  these  ruins  I  at- 
tempted to  penetrate,  but  the  entrance  was  se- 
cured by  a  gate.  From  the  castle  I  found  my 
way  to  the  convent,  a  sad  desolate  place, 
formerly  the  residence  of  mendicant  brothers 
of  the  order  of  St.  Francis.  I  was  about  to 
return  to  the  inn,  when  I  heard  a  loud  buzz  of 
voices,  and,  following  the  sound,  presently 
reached  a  kind  of  meadow,  where,  upon  a 
small  knoll,  sat  a  priest  in  full  canonicals, 
reading  in  a  loud  voice  a  newspaper,  while 
around  him,  either  erector  seated  on  the  grass, 
were  assembled  about  fifty  vecinos,  for  the 
most  part  dressed  in  long  cloaks,  amongst 
I  whom  I  discovered  my  two  friends  the  curate 


100 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


and  friar.  A  fine  knot  of  Carlist  quidnuncs, 
said  I  to  niyseif,  and  turned  away  to  another 
pnrt  of  the  meadow,  where  the  cattle  of  the 
village  were  grazing.  The  curate,  on  observ- 
ing me,  detached  himself  instantly  from  the 
group  and  followed.  "I  am  told  you  want  a 
pony,"  said  he;  "  there  now  is  mine  feeding 
amongst  those  horses,  the  best  in  all  the  king- 
dom of  Leon."  He  then  began  with  all  the 
volubility  of  a  chalan  to  descant  on  the  points 
of  the  animal.  Presently  the  friar  joined  us, 
■who,  observing  his  opportunity,  pulled  me  by 
the  sleeve  and  whispered,  "  Have  nothing  to 
do  with  the  curate,  master,  he  is  the  greatest 
thief  in  the  neighbourhood  :  if  you  want  a 
pony,  my  brother  has  a  much  better,  which  he 
will  dispose  of  cheaper."  "I  shall  wait  till 
I  arrive  at  Leon,"  I  exclaimed,  and  walked 
away,  musing  on  priestly  friendship  and  sin- 
cerity. 

From  *****  to  Leon,  a  distance  of 
eight  leagues,  the  country  rapidly  improved  : 
we  passed  over  several  small  streams,  and  oc- 
casionally found  ourselves  amongst  meadows 
in  which  grass  was  growing  in  the  richest 
luxuriance.  The  sun  shone  out  brightly,  and 
I  hailed  his  re-appearance  with  joy,  though 
the  heat  of  his  beams  was  oppressive.  On 
arrivino"  within  two  leagues  of  Leon,  we  passed 
numerous  cars  and  wagons,  and  bands  of  peo- 
ple with  horses  and  mules,  all  hastening  to 
the  celebrated  fair  which  is  held  in  the  city 
on  St.  .John's  or  Midsummer  day,  and  which 
took  place  within  three  days  after  our  arrival. 
This  fair,  though  principally  intended  for  the 
sale  of  horses,  is  frequented  by  merchants 
from  many  parts  of  Spain,  who  attend  with 
goods  of  various  kinds,  and  amongst  them  I 
remarked  many  of  the  Catalans  whom  1  had 
previously  seen  at  Medina  and  Valladolid. 

There  is  nothing  remarkable  in  Leon,  which 
is  an  old  gloomy  town,  with  the  exception  of 
its  cathedral,  in  many  respects  a  counterpart 
of  the  church  of  Palencia,  exhibiting  the  same 
light  and  elegant  architecture,  but,  unlike  its 
beautiful  sister,  unadorned  with  splendid  paint- 
ings. The  situation  of  Leon  is  highly  plea- 
sant, in  the  midst  of  a  blooming  country 
abounding  with  trees,  and  watered  by  many 
streams,  which  have  their  source  in  the 
mighty  mountains  in  the  neighbourhood.  It 
is,  however,  by  no  means  a  healthy  place, 
especially  in  summer,  when  the  heats  raise 
noxious  exhalations  from  the  waters,  generat- 
ing many  kinds  of  disorders,  especially  fevers. 

I  had  scarcely  been  at  Leon  three  days 
when  I  was  seized  with  a  fever,  against 
which  1  thought  the  strength  even  of  my 
constituuon  would  have  yielded,  for  it  wore 
me  almost  to  a  skeleton,  and  when  it  de- 
parted, at  the  end  of  about  a  week,  left  me 
in  such  a  deplorable  state  of  weakness  that 
I  was  scarcely  able  to  make  the  slightest 
exertion.  I  had,  however,  previously  per- 
suaded a  bookseller  to  undertake  the  charge 
of  vending  the  Testaments,  and  had  pub- 
lished my  advertisements  as  usual,  though 
without  very  sanguine  hope  of  success,  as 
Leon  is  a  place  where  the  iuhabitants,  with 


very  few  exceptions,  are  furious  Carlists,  and 
ignorant  and  blinded  followers  of  the  old 
papal  church.  It  is,  moreover,  a  bishop's 
see,  which  was  once  enjoyed  by  the  prime 
counsellor  of  Don  Carlos,  whose  fierce  and 
bigoted  spirit  still  seems  to  pervade  the  place. 
Scarcely  had  the  advertisements  appeared, 
when  the  clergy  were  in  motion.  They 
went  from  house  to  house,  banning  and 
cursing,  and  denouncing  misery  to  whomso- 
ever should  either  purchase  or  read  "the  ac- 
cursed books,"  which  had  been  sent  into  the 
country  by  heretics  for  the  purpose  of  per- 
verting the  innocent  minds  of  the  population. 
They  did  more;  they  commenced  a  process 
against  the  bookseller  in  the  ecclesiastical 
court.  Fortunately  this  court  is  not  at  pre- 
sent in  the  possession  of  much  authority ;  and 
the  bookseller,  a  bold  and  determined  man, 
set  them  at  defiance,  and  went  so  far  as  to 
affix  an  advertisement  to  the  gate  of  the  very 
cathedral.  Notwithstanding  the  cry  raised 
against  the  book,  several  copies  were  sold  at 
Leon :  two  were  purchased  by  ex-friars,  and 
the  same  number  by  parochial  priests  from 
neighbouring  villages.  I  believe  the  whole 
number  disposed  of  during  my  stay  amounted 
to  fifteen ;  so  that  my  visit  to  this  dark  corner 
was  not  altogether  in  vain,  as  the  seed  of  the 
Gospel  has  been  sown,  though  sparingly. 
But  the  palpable  darkness  which  envelopes 
Leon  is  truly  lamentable,  and  the  ignorance 
of  the  people  is  §o  great,  that  printed  charms 
and  incantations  against  Satan  and  his  host, 
and  against  every  kind  of  misfortune,  are 
publiciy  sold  in  the  shops,  and  are  in  great 
demand.  Such  are  the  results  of  Popery,  a 
delusion  which,  more  than  any  other,  has 
tended  to  debase  and  brutalize  the  human 
mind. 

I  had  scarcely  risen  from  the  bed  where 
the  fever  had  cast  me,  when  I  found  that 
Antonio  had  become  alarmed.  He  informed 
me  that  he  had  seen  several  soldiers  in  the 
uniform  of  Don  Carlos  lurking  at  the  door 
of  the  posada,  and  that  they  had  been  mak- 
ing inquiries  concerning  me. 

It  was  indeed  a  singular  fact  connected 
with  Leon,  that  upwards  of  fifty  of  these  fel- 
lows, who  had  on  various  accounts  left  the 
ranks  of  the  Pretender,  were  walking  about 
the  streets  dressed  in  his  livery,  and  with  all 
the  confidence  which  the  certainty  of  pro- 
tection from  the  local  authorities  could  afford 
them  should  any  one  be  disposed  to  interrupt 
them. 

I  learned  moreover  from  Antonio,  that  the 
person  in  whose  house  we  were  living  was 
a  notorious  "  alcahuete,"  or  spy  to  the  rob- 
bers in  the  neighbourhood,  and  that  unless 
we  took  our  departure  speedily  and  unex- 
pectedly, we  should  to  a  certainty  be  plun- 
dered on  the  road.  I  did  not  pay  much  at- 
tention to  these  hints,  but  my  desire  to  quit 
Leon  was  great,  as  I  was  convinced  that  as 
long  as  I  continued  there  I  should  be  unable 
to  regain  ray  health  and  vigour. 

Accordingly,  at  three  in  the  morning,  we 
departed  for  Galicia.    We  had  scarcely  pro- 


I 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


101 


ceeded  half  a  league  when  we  were  overtaken 
by  a  thunder-storm  of  tremendous  violence. 
We  were  at  that  time  in  the  midst  of  a  wood 
which  extends  to  some  distance  in  the  di- 
rection in  which  we  were  going.  The  trees 
were  bowed  almost  to  the  ground  by  the 
wind  or  torn  up  by  the  roots,  whilst  the 
earth  was  ploughed  up  by  the  lightning, 
which  burst  all  around  and  nearly  blinded 
us.  The  spirited  Andalusian  on  which  I 
rode  became  furious,  and  bounded  into  the 
air  as  if  possessed.  Owing  to  my  state  of 
weakness,  I  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
maintaining  my  seat,  and  avoiding  a  fall 
which  might  have  been  fatal.    A  tremen- 


dous discharge  of  rain  followed  the  storm, 
which  swelled  the  brooks  and  streams  and 
flooded  the  surrounding  country,  causing 
much  damage  amongst  the  corn.  After 
riding  about  five  leagues,  we  began  to  enter 
the  mountainous  district  which  surrounds 
Astorga:  the  heat  now  became  almost  suflTo- 
cating;  swarms  of  flies  began  to  make  their 
appearance,  and  settling  down  upon  the 
horses,  stung  them  almost  to  madness,  whilst 
the  road  was  very  flinty  and  trying.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  we  reached  Astorga, 
covered  with  mud  and  dust,  our  tongues 
cleaving  to  our  palates  with  thirst. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Astorga — The  Inn — The  Maragatos — Habits  of  the  Maragatos— The  Statue. 


We  went  to  a  posada  in  the  suburbs,  the 
only  one,  indeed,  which  the  place  afforded. 
The  court-yard  was  full  of  arrieros  and  car- 
riers, brawling  loudly;  the  master  of  the 
house  was  fighting  with  two  of  his  cus- 
tomers, and  universal  confusion  reigned 
around.  As  I  dismounted  I  received  the 
contents  of  a  wine-glass  in  my  face,  of 
which  greeting,  as  it  was  probably  intended 
for  another,  I  took  no  notice.  Antonio,  how- 
ever, was  not  so  patient,  for  on  being  struck 
with  a  cudgel,  he  instantly  returned  the  sa- 
lute with  his  whip,  scarifying  the  counte- 
nance of  a  carman.  In  my  endeavours  to 
separate  these  two  antagonists,  my  horse 
broke  loose,  and  rushing  amongst  the  pro- 
miscuous crowd,  overturned  several  indivi- 
duals and  committed  no  little  damage.  It 
was  a  long  time  before  peace  was  restored : 
at  last  we  were  shown  to  a  tolerably  decent 
chamber.  We  had,  however,  no  sooner 
taken  possession  of  it,  than  the  waggon  from 
Madrid  arrived  on  its  way  to  Coruna,  filled 
with  dusty  travellers,  consisting  of  women, 
children,  invalid  officers,  and  the  like.  We 
were  now  forthwith  dislodged,  and  our  bag- 
gage flung  into  the  yard.  On  our  complain- 
ing of  this  treatment,  we  were  told  that  we 
were  two  vagabonds  whom  nobody  knew ; 
who  had  come  without  an  arriero,  and  had 
already  set  the  whole  house  in  confusion. 
As  a  great  favour,  however,  we  were  at 
length  permitted  to  take  up  our  abode  in  a 
ruinous  building  down  the  yard,  adjoining 
the  stable,  and  filled  with  rats  and  vermin. 
Here  there  was  an  old  bed  with  a  tester,  and 
with  this  wretched  accommodation  we  were 
glad  to  content  ourselves,  for  I  could  proceed 
no  farther,  and  was  burnt  with  feva».  The 
heat  of  the  place  was  intolerable,  and  I  sat 
on  the  staircase  with  my  head  between  my 
hands,  gasping  for  breath:  soon  appeared 
i2 


Antonio  with  vinegar  and  water,  which  I 
drank  and  felt  relieved. 

We  continued  in  this  suburb  three  days, 
during  the  greatest  part  of  which  time  I  waa 
stretched  on  the  tester  bed.  I  once  or  twice 
contrived  to  make  my  way  into  the  town, 
but  found  no  bookseller,  nor  any  person  will- 
ing to  undertake  the  charge  of  disposing  of 
my  Testaments.  The  people  were  brutal, 
stupid,  and  uncivil,  and  I  returned  to  my 
tester  bed  fatigued  and  dispirited.  Here  I  lay 
listening  from  time  to  time  to  the  sweet 
chimes  which  rang  from  the  clock  of  the  old 
cathedral.  The  master  of  the  house  never 
came  near  me,  nor,  indeed,  once  enquired 
about  me.  Beneath  the  care  of  Antonio, 
however,  I  speedily  waxed  stronger.  "  Mon 
maitre,"  said  he  to  me  one  evening,  "  I  see 
you  are  better ;  let  us  quit  this  bad  town  and 
worse  posada  to-morrow  morning.  Jlllons, 
mon  maitre!  11  est  temps  de  nous  mettre  en 
chemia  pour  Lugo  et  Galice." 

Before  proceeding,  however,  to  narrate 
what  befel  us  in  this  journey  to  Lugo  and 
Galicia,  it  will,  perhaps,  not  be  amiss  to  say 
a  few  words  concerning  Astorga  and  its  vi- 
cinity. It  is  a  walled  town,  containing  about 
five  or  six  thousand  inhabitants,  with  a  ca- 
thedral and  college,  which  last  is,  however, 
at  present  deserted.  It  is  situated  on  the 
confines,  and  may  be  called  the  capital  of  a 
tract  of  land  called  the  country  of  the  Mara- 
gatos, which  occupies  about  three  square 
leagues,  and  has  for  its  north-western  boun- 
dary a  mountain  called  Telleno,  the  loftiest 
of  a  chain  of  hills  which  have  their  origin 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Minho,  and  are 
connected  with  the  immense  range  which 
constitutes  the  frontier  of  the  Asturias  and 
Guipuscoa. 

The  land  is  ungrateful  and  barren,  and 
,  niggardly  repays  the  toil  of  the  cultivator. 


10 


THE   BIBLE  IN    SPAIN. 


being  for  the  roost  part  rocky,  with  a  slight 

sprinkling  of  red  brick  earth. 

The  Maragatos  are  perhaps  the  most  sin- 
gular caste  to  be  found  amongst  the  chequer- 
ed population  of  Spain.  They  have  their 
own  peculiar  customs  and  dress,  and  never 
intermarry  with  the  Spaniards.  Their  name 
is  a  clue  to  their  origin,  as  it  signifies 
"  Moorish  Goihs,"  and  at  the  present  day 
their  garb  differs  but  little  from  that  of  the 
Moors  of  Barbary,  as  it  consists  of  a  long 
light  jacket,  secured  at  the  waist  by  a  broad 
girdle,  loose  short  trousers  which  terminate 
at  the  knee,  and  boots  and  gaiters.  Their 
heads  are  shaven,  a  slight  fringe  of  hair  being 
only  left  at  the  lower  part.  If  they  wore  the 
turban  or  barret,  they  could  scarcely  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Moors  in  dress,  but  in 
lieu  thereof  they  wear  the  sombrero,  or  broad 
slouching  hat  of  Spain.  There  can  belittle 
doubt  that  they  are  a  remnant  of  those  Goths 
■who  sided  with  the  Moors  on  their  invasion 
of  Spain,  and  who  adopted  their  religion, 
customs,  and  manner  of  dress,  which,  with 
the  exception  of  the  first,  are  still  to  a  consi- 
derable degree  retained  by  them.  It  is, 
however,  evident  that  their  blood  has  at  no 
time  mingled  with  that  of  the  wild  children 
of  the  desert,  for  scarcely  amongst  the  hills 
of  Norway  would  you  find  figures  and  faces 
more  essentially  Gothic  than  those  of  the 
Maragatos.  They  are  strong  athletic  men, 
but  loutish  and  heavy,  and  their  features, 
though  for  the  most  part  well  formed,  are 
vacant  and  devoid  of  expression.  They  are 
slow  and  plain  of  speech,  and  those  eloquent 
and  imaginative  sallies  so  common  in  the 
conversation  of  other  Spaniards,  seldom  or 
never  escape  them ;  they  have,  moreover,  a 
coarse  thick  pronunciation,  and  when  you 
hear  them  speak,  you  almost  imagine  that  it 
is  some  German  or  English  peasant  attempt- 
ing to  express  himself  in  the  language  of  the 
Peninsula.  They  are  constitutionally  phleg- 
matic, and  it  is  very  difficult  to  arouse  their 
anger;  but  they  are  dangerous  and  desperate 
■when  once  incensed ;  and  a  person  who 
knew  them  well,  told  me  that  he  would  ra- 
ther face  ten  Valencians,  people  infamous 
for  their  ferocity  and  blood-thirstiness,  than 
confront  one  angry  Maragato,  sluggish  and 
stupid  though  he  be  on  other  occasions. 

The  men  scarcely  ever  occupy  themselves 
in  husbandry,  which  they  abandon  to  the 
■»vomen,  who  plough  the  flinty  fields  and 
gather  in  the  scanty  harvests.  Their  hus- 
bands and  sons  are  far  differently  employed : 
for  they  are  a  nation  of  arrieros  or  carriers, 
and  almost  esteem  it  a  disgrace  to  follow  any 
other  profession.  On  every  road  of  Spain, 
particularly  those  north  of  the  mountains 
■which  divide  the  two  Castiles,  may  be  seen 
gangs  of  fives  and  sixes  of  these  people,  lol- 
ling or  sleeping  beneath  the  broiling  sun,  on 
figantic  and  heavily  laden  mules  and  mules, 
n  a  word,  almost  the  entire  commerce  of 
nearly  one  half  of  Spain  passes  through  the  I 


hands  of  the  Maragatos,  whose  fidelity  to 
their  trust  is  such,  that  no  one  accustomed 
to  employ  them  would  hesitate  to  confide  to 
them  the  transport  of  a  ton  of  treasure  from 
the  sea  of  Biscay  to  Madrid :  knowing  well 
that  it  would  not  be  their  fault  were  it  not 
delivered  safe  and  undiminished,  even  of  a 
grain,  and  that  bold  must  be  the  thieves  who 
would  seek  to  wrest  it  from  the  far  feared 
Maragatos,  who  would  cling  to  it  whilst 
they  could  stand,  and  would  cover  it  with 
their  bodies  when  they  fell  in  the  act  of 
loading  or  discharging  their  long  carbines. 

But  they  are  far  from  being  disinterested, 
and  if  ihey  are  the  most  trustworthy  of  all 
the  arrieros  of  Spain,  they  in  general  demand 
for  the  transport  of  articles,  a  sum  at  least 
double  to  what  others  of  the  trade  would  es- 
teem a  reasonable  recompense:  by  this 
means  they  accumulate  large  sums  of  money, 
notwithstanding  that  they  indulge  themselves 
in  far  superior  fare  to  that  which  contents  in 
general  the  parsimonious  Spaniard  ; — ano- 
ther argument  in  favour  of  their  pure  Gothic 
descent:  for  the  Maragatos,  like  true  men  of 
the  north,  delight  in  swilling  liquors  and 
battening  upon  gross  and  luscious  meats, 
which  help  to  swell  out  their  tall  and  goodly 
figures.  Many  of  them  have  died  possessed 
of  considerable  riches,  part  of  which  they 
have  not  unfrequenily  bequeathed  lotheerec- 
tion  or  embellishment  of  religious  houses. 

On  the  east  end  of  the  Cathedral  of  As- 
torga,  which  towers  over  the  lofty  and  pre- 
cipitous wall,  a  colossal  figure  of  lead  may 
be  seen  on  the  roof.  It  is  the  statue  of  a 
Maragato  carrier  who  endowed  the  cathedral 
with  a  large  sura.  He  is  in  his  national 
dress,  but  his  head  is  averted  from  the  land 
of  his  fathers,  and  whilst  he  waves  in  his 
hand  a  species  of  flag,  he  seems  to  be  sum- 
moning his  race  from  their  unfruitful  region 
to  other  climes,  where  a  richer  field  is  open 
to  their  industry  and  enterprise. 

I  spoke  to  several  of  these  men  respecting 
the  all- important  subject  of  religion ;  but  "  I 
found  their  hearts  gross,  and  their  ears  dull 
of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  closed."  There 
was  one  in  particular  to  whom  I  showed  the 
New  Testament,  and  whom  1  addressed  for 
a  considerable  time.  He  listened  or  seemed 
to  listen  patiently,  taking  occasionally  copi- 
ous draughts  from  an  immense  jug  of  whitish 
wine  which  stood  between  his  knees.  After 
I  had  concluded  he  said,  "To-morrow  I  set 
out  for  Lugo,  whither,  I  am  told,  yourself 
are  going.  If  you  wish  to  send  your  chest, 
I  have  no  objection  to  take  it  at  so  much 
(naming  an  extravagant  price.)  As  for 
what  you  have  told  me,  I  understand  little 
of  it,  and  believe  not  a  word  of  it;  but  in 
respect  to  the  books  which  you  have  shown 
me,  I  will  take  three  or  four.  I  shall  not 
read  them,  it  is  true,  but  I  have  no  doubt 
that  I  can  sell  them  at  a  higher  price  ihaa 
you  demand." 

So  much  for  the  Maragatos. 


i 


THE  BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


103 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Departure  from  Astorga — The  Venta — The  By-Path — Narrow  Escape — The  Cup  of  Water — Sun 
and  Shade — Bembibre — Convent  of  the  Rocks — Sunset — Cacabelos — Midnight  Adventure — 
Viilafranca. 


It  was  four  o'clock  of  a  beautiful  morning 
when  we  sallied  from  Astorga,  or  rather  from 
its  suburbs,  in  which  we  had  been  lodged: 
we  directed  our  course  to  the  north,  in  the 
direction  of  Galicia.  Leaving  the  mountain 
Telleno  on  our  left,  we  passed  along  the 
eastern  skirts  of  the  land  of  the  Maragatos, 
over  broken  uneven  ground,  enlivened  here 
and  there  by  small  green  valleys  and  runnels 
of  water.  Several  of  the  Maragatan  women, 
mounted  on  donkeys,  passed  us  on  their  way 
to  Astorga,  whither  they  were  carrying  ve- 
getables. We  saw  others  in  the  fields  hand- 
ling their  rude  ploughs,  drawn  by  lean  oxen. 
We  likewise  passed  through  a  small  village, 
in  which  we,  however,  saw  no  living  soul. 
Near  this  village  we  entered  the  high  road 
which  leads  direct  from  Madrid  to  Coruna, 
and  at  last,  having  travelled  near  four 
leagues,  we  came  to  a  species  of  pass,  formed 
on  our  left  by  a  huge  lumpish  hill,  (one  of 
those  which  descend  from  the  great  moun- 
tain Telleno,)  and  on  our  right  by  one  of 
much  less  altitude.  In  the  middle  of  this 
pass,  which  was  of  considerable  breadth,  a 
noble  view  opened  itself  to  us.  Before  us, 
at  the  distance  of  about  a  league  and  a  half, 
rose  the  mighty  frontier  chain,  of  which  I 
have  spoken  before;  its  blue  sides  and  broken 
and  picturesque  peaks  still  wearing  a  thin 
veil  of  the  morning  mist,  which  the  fierce 
rays  of  the  sun  were  fast  dispelling.  It 
seemed  an  enormous  barrier,  threatening  to 
oppose  our  farther  progress,  and  it  reminded 
me  of  the  fables  respecting  the  children  of 
Magog,  who  are  said  to  reside  in  remotest 
Tartary,  behind  a  gigantic  wall  of  rocks, 
which  can  only  be  passed  by  a  gate  of  steel 
a  thousand  cubits  in  height. 

We  shortly  after  arrived  at  Manzanal,  a 
village  consisting  of  wretched  huts,  and  ex- 
hibiting every  sign  of  poverty  and  misery. 
It  was  now  time  to  refresh  ourselves  and 
horses,  and  we  accordingly  put  up  at  a  venta, 
the  last  habitation  in  the  village,  where, 
though  we  found  barley  for  the  animals,  we 
had  much  difficulty  in  procuring  any  thing 
for  ourselves.  I  was  at  length  fortunate 
enough  to  obtain  a  large  jug  of  milk,  for 
there  was  plenty  of  cows  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, feeding  in  a  picturesque  valley  which 
we  had  passed  by,  where  was  abundance  of 
grass  and  trees,  and  a  rivulet  broken  by  tiny 
cascades.  The  jug  might  contain  about  half 
a  gallon,  but  I  emptied  it  in  a  few  minutes, 
for  the  thirst  of  fever  was  still  burning 
within  me,  though  I  was  destitute  of  appe- 
tite. The  venta  had  something  the  appear- 
ance of  a  Germaa  baiting-house.    It  coa- 


sisted  of  an  immense  stable,  from  which  was 
partitioned  a  kind  of  kitchen,  and  a  place 
where  the  family  slept.  The  master,  a  ro- 
bust young  man,  lolled  on  a  large  solid  stone 
bench,  which  stood  within  the  door.  He 
was  very  inquisitive  respecting  news,  but  I 
could  afford  him  none;  whereupon  he  be- 
came communicative,  and  gave  me  the  his- 
tory of  his  life,  the  sum  of  which  was,  that 
he  had  been  a  courier  in  the  Basque  pro- 
vinces, but  about  a  year  since  had  been 
despatched  to  this  village,  where  he  kept  the 
post-house.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  liberal, 
and  spoke  in  bitter  terms  of  the  surrounding 
population,  who,  he  said,  were  all  Carlists 
and  friends  of  the  friars.  I  paid  little  atten- 
tion to  his  discourse,  for  I  was  looking  at  a 
Maragato  lad  of  about  fourteen,  who  served 
in  the  house  as  a  kind  of  hostler.  I  asked 
the  master  if  we  were  still  in  the  land  of  the 
Maragatos;  but  he  told  me  that  we  had  left 
it  behind  nearly  a  league,  and  that  the  lad 
was  an  orphan  and  was  serving  until  he 
could  rake  up  a  sufficient  capital  to  become 
an  arriero.  I  addressed  several  questions  to 
the  boy,  but  the  urchin  looked  sullenly  in  my 
face,  and  either  answered  by  monosyllables 
or  was  doggedly  silent.  I  asked  him  if  he 
could  read.  "Yes,"  said  he,  "  as  much  as 
that  brute  of  yours  who  is  tearing  down  the 
manger." 

Quilting  Manzanal,  we  continued  our  course. 
We  soon  arrived  at  the  verge  of  a  deep  valley 
amongst  mountains,  not  those  of  the  chain 
which  we  had  seen  before  us,  and  which,  we 
now  left  to  the  right,  but  those  of  the  Telleno 
range,  just  before  they  unite  with  that  chain. 
Round  the  sides  of  this  valley,  which  exhi- 
bited something  of  the  appearance  of  a  horse- 
shoe, wound  the  road  in  a  circuitous  manner; 
just  before  us,  however,  and  diverging  from 
the  road,  lay  a  footpath  which  seemed,  by  a 
gradual  descent,  to  lead  across  the  valley  and 
to  rejoin  the  road  on  the  other  side,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  about  a  furlong;  and  into  this  we 
struck  in  order  to  avoid  the  circuit. 

We  had  not  gone  far  before  we  met  two  Ga- 
licians,  on  their  way  to  cut  the  harvests  of 
Castile.  One  of  them  shouted,  "Cavalier, 
turn  hack  :  in  a  moment  you  will  be  amongst 
precipices,  where  your  horses  will  break  their 
necks,  for  we  ourselves  could  scarcely  climb 
them  on  foot."  The  other  cried,  "  Cavalier, 
proceed,  but  be  careful,  and  your  horses,  if 
surefooted,  will  run  no  great  danger;  my 
comrade  is  a  fool."  A  violent  dispute  in- 
stantly ensued  between  the  two  mountaineers, 
each  supporting  his  opinion  with  loud  oaths 
and  curses  ;  but  without  stopping  to  see  the 


104 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


result,  I  passed  on,  but  the  path  was  now 
filled  with  stones  and  huge  slaty  rocks,  on 
which  my  horse  was  continually  slipping-.  I 
likewise  heard  the  sound  of  water  in  a  deep 
gorge,  which  I  had  hitherto  not  perceived,  and 
I  soon  saw  thai  it  would  be  worse  than  mad- 
ness to  proceed.  I  turned  my  horse,  and  was 
hastening  to  regain  the  path  which  I  had  left, 
when  Antonio,  my  faithful  Greek,  pointed 
out  to  me  a  meadow  by  which,  he  said,  we 
might  regain  the  high  road  much  lower  down 
than  if  we  returned  on  our  steps.  The  mea- 
dow was  brilliant  with  short  green  grass,  and 
in  the  middle  there  was  a  small  rivulet  of 
water.  I  spurred  my  horse  on,  expecting  to 
be  in  the  high  road  in  a  moment;  the  horse, 
however,  snorted  and  stared  wildly,  and  was 
evidently  unwilling  to  cross  the  seemingly 
inviting  spot.  I  thought  that  the  scent  of  a 
wolf  or  some  other  wild  animal  might  have 
disturbed  him,  but  was  soon  undeceived  by 
his  sinking  up  to  the  knees  in  a  bog.  The  ani- 
mal uttered  a  shrill  sharp  neigh,  and  exhi- 
bited every  sign  of  the  greatest  terror,  making 
at  the  same  time  great  efforts  to  extricate  him- 
self, and  plunging  forward,  but  every  moment 
sinking  deeper.  At  last  he  arrived  where  a 
small  vein  of  rock  showed  itself:  on  this  he 
placed  his  fore  feet,  and  with  one  tremendous 
exertion  freed  himself  from  the  deceitful  soil, 
springing  over  the  rivulet,  and  alighting  on 
comparatively  firm  ground,  where  he  stood 
panting,  his  heaving  sides  covered  with  a 
foamy  sweat.  Antonio,  who  had  observed 
the  whole  scene,  afraid  to  venture  forward,  re- 
turned by  the  path  by  which  we  came,  and 
shortly  afterwards  rejoined  me.  This  ad- 
venture brought  to  my  recollection  the  mea- 
dow with  its  footpath  which  tempted  Chris- 
tian from  the  straight  road  to  heaven,  and 
finally  conducted  him  to  the  dominions  of  the 
giant  Despair. 

We  now  began  to  descend  the  valley  by  a 
broad  and  excellent  carretera  or  carriao-e  road, 
which  was  cut  out  of  the  steep  side  of  the 
mountain  on  our  right.  On  our  left  was  the 
gorge,  down  which  tumbled  the  runnel  of 
of  water  which  I  have  before  mentioned.  The 
road  was  tortuous,  and  at  every  turn  the  scene 
became  more  picturesque.  The  gorge  gra- 
dually widened,  and  the  brook  at  its  bottom, 
fed  by  a  multitude  of  springs,  increased  in  vo- 
lume and  in  sound,  but  it  was  soon  far  beneath 
us,  pursuing  its  headlongcourse  till  it  reached 
level  ground,  where  it  flowed  in  the  midst  of 
a  beautiful  but  confined  prairie.  There  was 
something  sylvan  and  savage  in  the  mountains 
on  the  farther  side,  clad  from  foot  to  pinnacle 
with  trees  so  closely  growing  that  the  eye 
was  unable  to  obtain  a  glimpse  of  the  hill 
sides,  which  were  uneven  with  ravines  apd 
gulleys,  the  haunts  of  the  wolf,  the  wild  boar, 
and  the  corso  or  mountain-stag ;  the  latter  of 
which,  as  I  was  informed  by  a  peasant  who  was 
driving  a  car  of  oxen,  frequently  descended 
to  feed  in  the  prairie,  and  were  there  shot 
for  the  sake  of  their  skins,  for  the  flesh,  being 
Strong  and  disagreeable,  is  held  in  no  account. 

But  notwithstanding  the  wildness  of  these 


regions,  the  handiworks  of  man  were  visible. 
The  sides  of  the  gorge,  though  precipitous, 
were  yellow  with  little  fields  of  barley,  and 
we  saw  a  hamlet  and  church  down  in  ihe  prai- 
rie below,  whilst  merry  songs  ascended  to  our 
ears  from  where  the  mowers  were  toiling  with 
their  scythes,  cutting  the  luxuriant  and  abun 
dant  grass.  I  could  scarcely  believe  that  I 
was  in  Spain,  in  general  so  brown,  so  arid 
and  cheerless,  and  I  almost  fanced  myself  in 
Greece,  in  that  land  of  ancient  glory,  whose 
mountain  and  forest  scenery  Theocritus  has  so 
well  described. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  valley  we  entered  a 
small  village,  washed  by  the  brook,  which  had 
now  swelled  almost  to  a  stream,  A  more  ro- 
mantic situation  I  had  never  witnessed.  It 
was  surrounded,  and  almost  overhung,  by 
mountains,  and  embowered  in  trees  of  various 
kinds;  waters  sounded,  nightingales  sang,  and 
the  cuckoo's  full  note  boomed  from  the  distant 
branches,  but  the  village  was  miserable.  The 
huts  were  built  of  slate  stones,  of  which  the 
neighbouring  hills  seemed  to  be  principally 
composed,  and  roofed  with  the  same,  but  not 
in  the  neat  tidy  manner  of  English  houses,  for 
the  slates  were  of  all  sizes,  and  seemed  to  be 
flung  on  in  confusion.  We  were  spent  with 
heat  and  thirst,  and  sitting  down  on  a  stone 
bench,  I  entreated  the  woman  to  give  me  a 
little  water.  The  woman  said  she  would,  but 
added  that  she  expected  to  be  paid  for  it.  An- 
tonio, on  hearing  this,  became  highly  incensed, 
and  speaking  (Greek,  Turkish,  and  Spanish, 
invoked  the  vengeance  of  the  Panhagia  on  the 
heartless  woman,  saying,  "  If  I  were  to  offer  a 
Mahometan  gold  for  a  draught  of  water  he 
would  dash  it  in  my  face ;  and  you  are  a 
Catholic,  with  the  stream  running  at  your 
door."  I  told  him  to  be  silent,  and  giving  the 
woman  two  cuartos,  repeated  my  request, 
whereupon  she  took  a  pitcher,  and  going  to 
the  stream  filled  it  with  water.  It  tasted 
muddy  and  disagreeable,  but  it  drowned  the 
fever  which  was  devouring  me. 

We  again  remounted  and  proceeded  on  our 
way,  which,  for  a  considerable  distance,  lay 
along  the  margin  of  the  stream,  which  now 
fell  in  small  cataracts,  now  brawled  over 
stones,  and  at  other  times  ran  dark  and  silent 
through  deep  pools  overhung  with  tall  willows, 
— pools  which  seemed  to  abound  with  the 
finny  tribe,  for  large  trout  frequently  sprang 
from  the  water,  catching  thebrilliant  fly  which 
skimmed  along  its  deceitful  surface.  The 
scene  was  deceitful.  The  sun  was  rolling 
high  in  the  firmament,  casting  from  its  orb  of 
fire  the  most  jrlorious  rays,  so  that  the  atmos- 
phere was  flickering  with  their  splendour, 
but  their  fierceness  was  either  warded  off  by 
the  shadow  of  the  trees  or  rendered  innocuous 
by  the  refreshing  coolness  which  rose  from  the 
waters,  or  by  the  gentle  breezes  which  mur- 
mured at  intervals  over  the  meadows,  "fanning 
the  cheek  or  raising  the  hair"  of  the  wanderer. 
The  hills  gradually  receded,  till  at  last  we  en- 
tered a  plain  where  tall  grass  was  waving, 
and  mighty  chestnut  trees,  in  full  blossom, 
spread  out  their  giantand  umbrageous  boughs. 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


105 


Beneath  many  stood  cars,  the  tired  oxen  pros- 
trate on  the  ground,  the  crossbar  of  the  pole 
which  they  support  pressing  heavily  on  their 
heads,  whilst  their  drivers  were  either  em- 
ployed in  cooking  or  were  enjoying  a  delicious 
siesta  in  the  grass  and  shade.  I  went  up  to 
one  of  the  largest  of  these  groups  and  de- 
manded of  the  individuals  whether  they  were 
in  need  of  the  Testament  of  Jesus  Christ. 
They  stared  at  one  another,  and  then  at  me, 
till  at  last  a  young  man,  who  was  dandling  a 
long  gun  in  his  hands  as  he  reclined,  de- 
manded of  me  what  it  was,  at  the  same  time 
enquiring  whether  I  was  a  Catalan,  "  for  you 
spealv  hoarse,"  said  he,  "  and  are  tall  and  fair 
like  that  family."  I  sat  down  amongst  them 
and  said  that  I  was  no  Catalan,  but  that  1 
came  from  a  spot  in  the  Western  Sea,  many 
leagues  distant,  to  sell  that  book  at  half  the 
price  it  cost :  and  that  their  souls'  welfare  de- 
pended on  their  being  acquainted  with  it.  I 
then  explained  to  them  the  nature  of  the  New 
Testament,  and  read  to  them  the  parable  of  the 
Sower.  They  stared  at  each  other  again,  but 
said  that  they  were  poor  and  could  not  buy 
books.  I  rose,  mounted,  and  was  going  away, 
saying  to  them:  "Peace  bide  with  you." 
Whereupon  the  young  man  with  the  gun  rose, 
and  saying,  "  Caapita  !  this  is  odd,"  snatched 
the  book  from  my  hand,  and  gave  me  the 
price  I  had  demanded. 

Perhaps  the  whole  world  might  be  searched 
in  vain  for  a  spot  whose  natural  charms  could 
rival  those  of  this  plain  or  valley  of  Bembibre, 
as  it  is  called,  with  its  wall  of  mighty  moun- 
tains, its  spreading  chestnut  trees,  and  its 
groves  of  oaks  and  willows,  which  clothe  the 
banks  of  its  stream,  a  tributary  to  the  Minho. 
True  it  is,  that  when  I  passed  through  it,  the 
candle  of  heaven  was  blazing  in  full  splen- 
dour, and  every  thing  lighted  by  its  rays 
looked  gay,  glad,  and  blessed.  Whether  it 
would  have  filled  me  with  the  same  feelings 
of  admiration  if  viewed  beneath  another  sky, 
I  will  not  pretend  to  determine  ;  but  it  cer- 
tainly possesses  advantages  which  at  no  time 
could  fail  to  delight,  for  it  exhibits  all  the 
peaceful  beauties  of  an  English  landscape 
blended  with  something  wild  and  grand,  and 
I  thought  within  myself,  that  he  must  be  a 
restless  dissatisfied  man,  who,  born  amongs* 
those  scenes,  would  wish  to  quit  them.  At 
the  time,  I  would  have  desired  no  better  fate 
than  that  of  a  shepherd  on  the  prairies,  or  a 
hunter  on  the  hills  of  Bembibre. 

Three  hours  passed  away,  and  we  were  in 
another  situation.  We  had  halted  and  re- 
freshed ourselves  and  horses  at  Bembibre,  a 
village  of  mud  and  slate,  and  which  possessed 
little  to  attract  attention :  we  were  now 
ascending,  for  the  road  was  over  one  of  the 
extreme  ledges  of  those  frontier  hills  which  I 
have  before  so  often  mentioned;  but  the 
aspect  of  heaven  had  blackened,  clouds  were 
rolling  rapidly  from  the  west  over  the  moun- 
tains, and  a  cold  wind  was  moaning  dis- 
mally. "  There  is  a  storm  travelling  through 
the  air,"  said  a  peasant,  whom  we  overtook, 
mounted  on  a  wretched  mule ;  "  and  the  Aus- 
14 


trians  had  better  be  on  the  look  out,  for  it  is 
speeding  in  their  direction."  He  had  scarce 
spoken,  when  a  light,  so  vivid  and  dazzling 
that  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  lustre  of  the 
fiery  element  were  concentrated  in  it,  broke 
around  us,  filling  the  whole  atmosphere,  and 
covering  rock,  tree  and  mountain  with  a  glare 
not  to  be  described.  The  mule  of  the  peasant 
tumbled  prostrate,  while  the  horse  I  rode 
reared  himself  perpendicularly,  and  turning 
round,  dashed  down  the  hill  at  headlong 
speed,  which  for  some  time  it  was  impossible 
to  check.  The  lightning  was  followed  by  a 
peal  almost  as  terrible,  but  distant,  for  it 
sounded  hollow  and  deep;  the  hills,  however, 
caught  up  its  voice,  seemingly  repeating  it 
from  summit  to  summit,  till  it  was  lost  in  in- 
terminable space.  Other  flashes  and  peals 
succeeded,  but  slight  in  comparison,  and  a 
few  drops  of  rain  descended.  The  body  of 
the  tempest  seemed  to  be  over  another  region. 
"A  hundred  families  are  weeping  where  that 
bolt  fell,"  said  the  peasant  when  I  rejoined 
him,  "for  its  blaze  has  blinded  my  mule  at 
six  leagues'  distance."  He  was  leading  the 
animal  by  the  bridle,  as  its  sight  was  evi- 
dently aflected.  "  Were  the  friars  still  in 
their  nest  above  there,"  he  continued,  "  I 
should  say  that  this  was  their  doing,  for  they 
are  the  cause  of  all  the  miseries  of  the  land." 
I  raised  my  eyes  in  the  direction  in  which 
he  pointed.  Halfway  up  the  mountain,  over 
whose  foot  we  were  wending,  jutted  forth  a 
black  frightful  crag,  which  at  an  immense 
altitude  overhung  the  road,  and  seemed  to 
threaten  destruction.  It  resembled  one  of 
those  ledges  of  the  rocky  mountains  in  the 
picture  of  the  Deluge,  up  to  which  the  terrified 
fugitives  have  scrambled  from  the  eager  pur- 
suit of  the  savage  and  tremendous  billows, 
and  from  whence  they  gaze  down  in  horror, 
whilst  above  them  lise  still  higher  and  gid- 
dier heights,  to  which  they  seem  unable  to 
climb.  Built  on  the  very  edge  of  this  crag, 
stood  an  edifice,  seemingly  devoted  to  the  pur- 
poses of  religion,  as  I  could  discern  the  spire 
of  a  church  rearing  itself  high  over  wall  and 
roof.  "  That  is  the  house  of  the  Virgin  of  the 
Rocks,"  said  the  peasant,  "  and  it  was  lately 
full  of  friars,  but  they  have  been  thrust  out, 
and  the  only  inmates  now  are  owls  and 
ravens."  I  replied,  that  their  life  in  such  a 
bleak  exposed  abode  could  not  have  been  very 
enviable,  as  in  winter  they  must  have  incurred 
great  risk  of  perishing  with  cold.  "  By  no 
means,"  said  he  ;  "  they  had  the  best  of  wood 
for  their  braseros  and  chimneys,  and  the  best 
of  wine  to  warm  them  at  their  meals,  which 
were  not  the  most  sparing.  Moreover,  they 
had  another  convent  down  in  the  vale  yonder, 
to  which  they  could  retire  at  their  pleasure." 
On  my  asking  him  the  reason  of  his  antipathy 
to  the  friars,  he  replied,  that  he  had  been  their 
vassal,  and  that  they  had  deprived  him  every 
year  of  the  flower  of  what  he  possessed. 
Discoursing  in  this  manner,  we  reached  a  vil- 
lage just  below  the  convent,  where  he  left  me, 
having  first  pointed  out  to  me  a  house  of  stone, 
with  an  image  over  the  door,  which,  he  said, 


106 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


once  also  belonged  to  the  canalla  (rabble) 
above. 

The  sun  was  setting  fast,  and  eager  to 
reach  Villafranca,  where  I  had  determined  on 
resting,  and  which  was  still  distant  three 
leagues  and  a  half,  I  made  no  halt  at  this 
place.  The  road  was  now  down  a  rapid  and 
crooked  descent,  which  terminated  in  a  val- 
ley, at  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  long  and 
narrow  bridge;  beneath  it  rolled  a  river,  de- 
8cend.ing  from  a  wide  pass  between  two 
mountains,  for  the  chain  was  here  cleft,  pro- 
bably by  some  convulsion  of  nature.  I  looked 
up  the  pass,  and  on  the  hills  on  both  sides. 
Far  above,  on  my  right,  but  standing  forth 
bold  and  clear,  and  catching  the  last  rays  of 
the  sun,  was  the  Convent  of  the  Precipices, 
whilst  directly  over  against  it,  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  valley,  rose  the  perpendicular  side 
of  the  rival  hill,  which,  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent intercepting  the  light,  flung  its  black 
shadow  over  the  upper  end  of  the  pass,  in- 
volving it  in  mysterious  darkness.  Emerg- 
ing from  the  centre  of  this  gloom,  with 
thundering  sound,  dashed  a  river,  white  with 
foam,  and  bearing  along  with  it  huge  stones 
and  branches  of  trees,  for  it  was  the  wild  Sil 
hurrying  to  the  ocean  from  its  cradle  in  the 
heart  of  the  Austrian  hills,  and  probably  swol- 
len by  the  recent  rains. 

Hours  again  passed  away.  It  was  now 
night,  and  we  were  in  the  midst  of  woodlands, 
feeling  our  way,  for  the  darkness  was  so  great 
that  I  could  scarcely  see  the  length  of  a 
yard  before  my  horse's  head.  The  animal 
seemed  uneasy,  and  would  frequently  stop 
short,  prick  up  his  ears,  and  utter  a  low 
mournful  whine.  Flashes  of  sheet  lightning 
frequently  illumined  the  black  sky,  and  flung 
a  momentary  glare  over  our  path.  No  sound 
interrupted  the  stillness  of  the  night,  except 
the  slow  tramp  of  the  horses  hoofs,  and  occa- 
sionally the  croaking  of  frogs  from  some  pool 
or  morass.  I  now  bethought  me  that  I  was 
in  Spain,  the  chosen  land  of  the  two  fiends, 
assassination  and  plunder,  and  iiow  easily  two 
tired  and  unarcned  wanderers  might  become 
their  victims. 

We  at  last  cleared  the  woodlands,  and  after 
proceeding  a  short  distance,  the  horse  gave  a 
joyous  neigh,  and  broke  into  a  smart  trot.  A 
barking  of  dogs  speedily  reached  my  ears, 
and  we  seemed  to  be  approaching  some  town 
or  village.  In  effect,  we  were  close  to  Caca- 
belos,  a  town  about  five  miles  distant  from 
Villafranca. 

It  was  near  eleven  at  night,  and  I  reflected 
that  it  would  be  far  more  expedient  to  tarry  in 
this  place  till  the  morning  than  to  attempt  at 
present  to  reach  Villafranca,  exposing  our- 
selves to  all  the  horrors  of  darkness  in  a  lonely 
and  unknown  road.  My  mind  was  soon  made 
up  on  this  point ;  but  I  reckoned  without  my 
hosts,  for  at  the  first  posada  which  I  attempted 
.0  enter,  I  was  told  that  we  could  not  be  ac- 
tommodated,  and  still  less  our  horses,  as  the 
stable  was  full  of  water.  At  the  second,  and 
'here  were  but  two,  1  was  answered  from  the 
window  by  a  gruff  voice,  nearly  in  the  words 


jof  Scripture:  "Trouble  me  not:  the  door  is 
now  shut,  and  my  children  are  with  me  in 
bed;  1  cannot  arise  to  let  you  in."  Indeed, 
we  had  no  particular  desire  to  enter,  as  it  ap- 
peared a  wretched  hovel,  though  the  poor 
horses  pawed  piteously  against  the  door,  and 
seemed  to  crave  admittance. 

We  had  now  no  choice  but  to  resume  our 
doleful  way  to  Villafranca,  which,  we  were 
told,  was  a  short  league  distant,  though  it 
proved  a  league  and  a  half.  We  found  it  no 
easy  matter  to  quit  the  town,  for  we  were  be- 
wildered amongst  its  labyrinths,  and  could 
not  find  the  outlet.  A  lad  about  eighteen  was, 
however,  persuaded,  by  the  promise  of  a 
peseta,  to  guide  us;  whereupon  he  lea  us  by 
many  turnings  to  a  bridge,  which  he  told  us 
to  cross,  and  to  follow  the  road,  which  was 
that  of  Villafranca;  he  then,  having  received 
his  fee,  hastened  from  us. 

We  followed  his  directions,  not,  however, 
without  a  suspicion  that  he  might  be  deceiv- 
ing us.  The  night  had  settled  darker  down 
upon  us,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  distin- 
guish any  object,  however  nigh.  The  light- 
ning had  become  more  faint  and  rare.  We 
heard  the  rustling  of  trees,  and  occasionally 
the  barking  of  the  dogs,  which  last  sound, 
however,  soon  ceased,  and  we  were  in  the 
midst  of  night  and  silence.  My  horse,  either 
from  weariness,  or  the  badness  of  the  road, 
frequently  stumbled  ;  whereupon  I  dismounted, 
and  leading  him  by  the  bridle,  soon  left  An- 
tonio far  in  the  rear. 

1  had  proceeded  in  this  manner  a  considera- 
ble way,  when  a  circumstance  occurred  of  a 
character  well  suited  to  the  time  and  place. 

I  was  again  amidst  trees  and  bushes,  when 
the  horse  stopping  short,  nearly  pulled  me 
back.  I  know  not  how  it  was,  but  fear  sud- 
denly came  over  me,  which,  though  in  dark- 
ness and  in  solitude,  I  had  not  felt  before. 
I  was  about  to  urge  the  animal  forward,  when 
I  heard  a  noise  at  my  right  hand,  and  listened 
attentively.  It  seemed  to  be  that  of  a  person 
or  persons  forcing  their  way  through  branches 
and  brushwood.  It  soon  ceased,  and  1  heard 
feet  on  the  road.  It  was  the  short  staggering 
kind  of  tread  of  people  carrying  a  very  heavy 
substance,  nearly  too  much  for  their  strength, 
and  I  thought  I  heard  the  hurried  breathing 
of  men  over-fatigued.  There  was  a  short 
pause,  during  which  I  conceived  they  were 
resting  in  the  middle  of  the  road ;  then  the 
stamping  recommenced,  until  it  reached  the 
other  side,  when  I  again  heard  a  simila 
rustling  amidst  branches;  it  continued  fc 
some  time  and  died  gradually  away. 

I  continued  my  road,  musing  on  what  had 
just  occurred,  and  forming  conjectures  as  to 
the  cause.  The  liohting  resumed  its  flash- 
ing, and  I  saw  that  I  was  approaching  tall 
black  mountains. 

This  nocturnal  journey  endured  so  long 
that  I  almost  lost  all  hope  of  reaching  the 
town,  and  had  closed  my  eyes  in  a  doze, 
though  I  still  trudged  on  mechanically,  lead- 
ing the  horse.  Suddenly  a  voice  at  a  slight 
distance  before  me  roared  out,  "  Quien  vive  ?" 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


107 


fori  had  at  last  found  my  way  to  Villafranca. 
It  proceeded  from  the  sentry  in  the  suburb, 
one  of  those  singular  balf  soldiers  half  gueril- 
las, called  Mignelets,  who  are  in  general  em- 
ployed by  the  Spanish  government  to  clear 
tlie  roads  of  robbers.  I  gave  the  usual  an- 
swer, "  i^j/jana,"  and  went  up  to  the  place 
where  he  stood.  After  a  little  conversation,! 
sat  down  on  a  stone,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  An- 
tonio, who  was  long  in  making  his  appearance. 
On  his  arrival,  I  asked  if  any  one  had  passed 
him  on  the  road,  but  he  replied  that  he  had 
seen  nothing.  The  night,  or  rather  the  morn- 
ing, was  still  very  dark,  though  a  small  corner 
of  the  moon  was  occasionally  visible.  On 
our  enquiring  ibe  way  to  the  gate,  the  Migue- 
let  directed  us  down  a  street  to  the  left,  which 
we  followed.  The  street  was  steep,  we  could 
see  no  gate,  and  our  progress  was  soon  stopped 
by  houses  and  wall.  We  knocked  at  the 
gates  of  two  or  three  of  these  houses,  (in  the 
upper  stories  of  which  lights  were  burning,) 
for  the  purposes  of  being  set  right,  but  we 
were  either  disregarded  or  not  heard.  A  hor- 
rid squalling  of  cats,  from  the  tops  of  the 
houses  and  dark  corners,  saluted  our  ears,  and 
I  thought  of  the  night  arrival  of  Don  Quixote 
and  his  squire  at  Toboso,  and  their  vain  search 
amongst  the  deserted  streets  for  the  palace  of 
Dulcinea.  At  length  we  saw  light  and  heard 
voices  in  a  cottage  at  the  other  side  of  a  kind 
of  ditch.  Leading  the  horses  over,  we  called 
at  the  door,  which  was  opened  by  an  aged 


man,  who  appeared  by  his  dress  to  be  a 
baker,  as  indeed  he  proved,  which  accounted 
for  his  being  up  at  so  late  an  hour.  On  beg- 
ging  him  to  show  us  the  way  into  the  town, 
he  led  us  up  a  very  narrow  alley  at  the  end  of 
his  cottage,  saying  that  he  would  likewise 
conduct  us  to  the  posada. 

The  alley  led  directly  to  what  appeared 
to  be  the  market-place,  at  a  corner  house  of 
which  our  guide  stopped  and  knocked.  After 
a  long  pause  an  upper  window  was  opened, 
and  a  female  voice  demanded  who  we  were. 
The  old  man  replied,  that  two  travellers  had 
arrived  who  were  in  need  of  lodging.  '•! 
cannot  be  disturbed  at  this  time  of  night," 
said  the  woman;  "they  will  be  wanting 
supper,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  house; 
they  must  go  elsewhere."  She  was  going  to 
shut  the  window,  but  I  cried  that  we  wanted 
no  supper,  but  merely  a  resting  place  for  our- 
selves and  horses — that  we  had  come  that 
day  from  Astoiga,  and  were  dying  with 
fatigue.  "Who  is  that  speaking?"  cried 
the  woman.  "Surely  that  is  the  voice  of 
Gil,  the  German  clock-maker  from  Ponteve- 
dra.  Welcome,  old  companion;  you  are 
come  at  the  right  lime,  for  my  own  is  out  of 
order.  I  am  sorry  I  have  kept  you  waiting, 
but  I  will  admit  you  in  a  moment." 

The  window  was  slammed  to,  presently  a 
light  shone  through  the  cievices  of  the  door, 
a  key  turned  in  the  lock,  and  we  were  ad 
mitted. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


Villafranca — The  Pass — Gallegan  Simplicity — The  Frontier  Guard — The  Horse-Shoe — Gallegan 
Peculinrities — A  Word  on  Language — The  Courier — Wretched  Cabins — Host  and  Guests — 
Andalusians. 


"Ave  Maria,"  said  the  woman  ;  "whom 
have  we  here]  This  is  not  Gil  the  clock- 
maker."  "  Whether  it  be  Gil  or  Juan," 
said  I,  "  we  are  in  need  of  your  hospitality, 
and  can  pay  for  it."  Our  first  care  was  to 
stable  the  horses,  who  were  much  exhausted. 
We  then  went  in  search  of  some  accom- 
modation for  ourselves.  The  house  was 
large  and  commodious,  and  having  tasted  a 
little  water,  I  stretched  myself  on  the  floor  of 
one  of  the  rooms  on  some  matrasses  which 
the  woman  produced,  and  in  less  than  a  mi- 
nute was  sound  asleep. 

The  sun  was  shining  bright  when  I  awoke. 
I  walked  forth  into  the  market-place,  which 
was  crowded  with  people.  I  looked  up  and 
could  see  the  peaks  of  tall  black  mountains 
peeping  over  the  tops  of  the  houses.  The 
town  lay  in  a  deep  hollow,  and  appeared  to 
be  surrounded  by  hills  on  almost  every  side. 
♦'  Quel  pays  bnhare  .'"  said  Antonio,  who  now 
joined  me,  "  the  farther  we  go,  my  master, 
the  wilder  every  thing   looks.      I  am  half 


afraid  to  venture  into  Galicia;  they  tell  me 
that  to  get  to  it  we  must  clamber  up  those 
hills;  the  horses  will  founder."  Leaving 
the  market-place  I  ascended  the  wall  of  the 
town  and  endeavoured  to  discover  the  gate  by 
which  we  should  have  entered  the  pre- 
ceding night;  but  I  was  not  more  successful 
in  the  bright  sunshine  than  in  the  dark- 
ness. The  town  in  the  direction  of  As- 
torga  appeared  to  be  hermetically  sealed, 

I  was  eager  to  enter  Galicia,  and  finding 
that  horses  were  to  a  certain  extent  recovered 
from  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  of  the  pre- 
ceding day,  we  again  mounted  and  proceeded 
on  our  way.  Crossing  a  bridge,  we  presently 
found  ourselves  in  a  deep  gorge  amongst  the 
mountains,  down  which  rushed  an  impetuous 
rivulet,  overhung  by  the  high  road  which 
leads  into  Galicia.  We  were  in  the  far- 
famed  pass  of  Fuencebadon. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  this  pass  or  the 
circumjacent  region,  which  contains  some  of 
the  most  extraordinary  scenery  in  all  Spain; 


108 


THE  BIBLE   IN  SPAIN. 


a  feeble  and  imperfect  outline  is  all  that  I  can 
hope  to  effect.  The  traveller  who  ascends  it 
follows  for  nearly  a  league  the  course  of  the 
torrent,  whose  banks  are  in  some  places  pre- 
cipitous, and  in  others  slope  down  to  the 
waters,  and  are  covered  with  lofty  trees,  oaks, 
poplars,  and  chestnuts.  Small  villages  are 
at  first  continually  seen,  with  low  walls,  and 
roofs  formed  of  immense  slates,  the  eaves 
nearly  touching  the  ground  ;  these  hamlets, 
however,  gradually  become  less  frequent  as 
the  path  grows  more  steep  and  narrow, 
until  they  finally  cease  at  a  short  distance  be- 
fore the  spot  is  attained  where  the  rivulet  is 
abandoned  and  is  no  more  seen,  though  its 
tributaries  may  yet  be  heard  in  many  a  gully, 
or  described  in  tiny  rills  dashing  down  the 
steeps.  Every  thing  here  is  wild,  strange, 
and  beautiful  the  hill  up  which  winds  the 
path  towers  above  on  the  right,  whilst  on  the 
farther  side  of  a  profound  ravine  rises  an  im- 
mense mountain,  to  whose  extreme  altitudes 
the  eye  is  scarcely  able  to  attain,  but  the 
most  singular  feature  of  this  pass  are  hanging 
fields  or  meadows  which  cover  its  sides.  In 
these,  as  I  passed,  the  grass  was  growing 
luxuriantly,  and  in  many  the  mowers  were 
plying  their  scythes,  though  it  seemed  scarcely 
possible  that  their  feet  could  find  support  on 
ground  so  precipitous  :  above  and  below  were 
driftways  so  small  as  to  seem  threads  along 
the  mountain  side.  A  ear,  drawn  by  oxen, 
is  creeping  round  yon  airy  eminence;  the 
nearer  wheel  is  actually  hanging  over  the 
horrid  descent;  giddiness  seizes  the  brain, 
and  the  eye  is  rapidly  withdrawn.  A  cloud 
intervenes,  and  when  again  you  turn  to  watch 
their  progress,  the  objects  of  your  anxiety 
have  disappeared.  Still  more  narrow  be- 
comes the  path  along  which  you  yourself  are 
toiling,  and  its  turns  more  frequent.  You 
have  already  come  a  distance  of  two  leagues, 
and  still  one  third  of  the  ascent  remains  un- 
surmounted.  You  are  not  yet  in  Galicia;  and 
you  still  hear  Castilian,  coarse  and  unpolished, 
it  is  true,  spoken  in  the  miserable  cabins 
placed  in  the  sequestered  nooks  which  you 
pass  by  in  your  route. 

Shortly  before  we  reached  the  summit  of 
the  pass  thick  mists  began  to  envelope  the 
tops  of  the  hills,  and  a  drizzling  rain  descend- 
ed. "These  mists,"  said  Antonio,  "are 
what  the  Gallegans  call  bretima ;  and  it  is 
said  there  is  never  any  lack  of  them  in  their 
country."  "  Have  yoii  ever  visited  the 
country  before  ?"  I  demanded.  "  Non,  raon 
maitre;  but  I  have  frequently  lived  in  houses 
where  the  domestics  were  in  part  Gallegans, 
on  which  account  [  know  not  a  little  of  their 
ways,  and  even  somethingof  their  language." 
"  Is  the  opinion  which  you  have  formed  of 
them  at  all  in  their  favour?"  I  enquired. 
"By  no  means,  mon  mailre;  the  men  in 
general  seem  clownish  and  simple,  yet  they 
are  capable  of  deceiving  the  most  clever  filou 
of  Paris  ;  and  as  for  the  women,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  live  in  the  same  house  with  them, 
more  especially  if  they  are  Camareras,  and 
wait  upon  the  Seiiora  j  they  are  continually 


breeding  dissensions  and  disputes  m  the 
house,  and  telling  tales  of  the  other  domes- 
tics. I  have  already  lost  two  or  three  ex 
cellent  situations  in  Madrid,  solely  owing  to 
these  Gallegan  chambermaids.  We  have 
now  come  to  the  frontier,  mon  maitre,  ior 
such  I  conceive  this  village  to  be." 

We  entered  the  village,  which  stood  on 
the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  as  our 
horses  and  ourselves  were  by  this  time  much 
fatigued,  we  looked  round  for  a  place  in 
which  to  obtain  refreshment.  Close  by  the 
gate  stood  a  building  which,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  a  mule  or  two  and  a  wretched 
pony  standing  before  it,  we  concluded  was 
the  posada,  as  in  effect  it  proved  to  be.  We 
entered :  several  soldiers  were  lolling  on 
heaps  of  coarse  hay,  with  which  the  place, 
which  much  resembled  a  stable,  was  half 
filled.  All  were  exceedingly  ill  looking  fel- 
lows, and  very  dirty.  They  were  conversing 
with  each  other  in  a  strange  sounding  dialect, 
which  I  supposed  to  be  Gallegan.  Scarcely 
did  they  perceive  us  when  two  or  three  of 
them,  starting  from  their  couch,  ran  up  to 
Antonio,  whom  they  welcomed  with  much 
affection,  calling  him  companliiero.  "  How 
came  you  to  know  these  men  ?"  1  demanded 
in  French.  "  Ces  messieurs  sont  presque  tous 
de  ma  connoissance,^^  he  replied,  "  et,  entre 
nous,  ce  sont,  des  veritahles  vauriens ;  they 
are  almost  all  robbers  and  assassins.  That 
fellow  with  one  eye,  who  is  the  corporal,  es- 
caped a  little  time  ago  from  Madrid,  more 
than  suspected  of  being  concerned  in  an  af- 
fair of  poisoning;  but  he  is  safe  enough  here 
in  his  own  country,  and  is  placed  to  guard 
the  frontier,  as  you  see;  but  we  must  treat 
them  civilly,  mon  maitre;  we  must  give  them 
wine,  or  they  will  be  offended.  I  know  them, 
mon  maitre — I  know  them.  Here,  hostess, 
bring  an  arrobe  of  wine." 

Whilst  Antonio  was  engaged  in  treating 
his  friends,  I  led  the  horses  to  the  stable ;  this 
was  through  the  house,  inn,  or  whatever  it 
might  be  called.  The  stable  was  a  wretched 
shed,  in  which  the  horses  sank  to  their  fet- 
locks in  mud  and  puddle.  On  enquiring  for 
barley,  I  was  told  that  I  was  now  in  Galicia, 
where  barley  was  not  used  for  provender, 
and  was  very  rare.  I  was  offered  in  lieu  of 
it  Indian  corn,  which,  however,  the  horses 
ate  without  hesitation.  There  was  no  straw 
to  be  had  :  coarse  hay,  half  green,  being  the 
substitute.  By  trampling  about  in  the  mud 
of  the  stable  ray  horse  soon  lost  a  shoe,  for 
which  I  searched  in  vain.  "  Is  there  a  black- 
smith in  the  village?"  I  demanded  of  a  shock- 
headed  fellow  who  officiated  as  ostler. 

Ostler. — Si,  Senhor;  but  I  suppose  you 
have  brought  horse-shoes  with  you,  or  that 
large  beast  of  yours  cannot  be  shod  in  this 
village. 

Myself. — What  do  you  mean?  Is  the 
black-smith  unequal  to  his  trade  1  Cannot 
he  put  on  a  horse-shoe  ? 

Ostler. — Si,  Senhor;  he  can  put  on  a  horse- 
shoe if  you  give  it  him;  but  there  are  no 
horse-shoes  in  Galicia,  at  least  in  these  parts. 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


109 


Mynelf. — Is  it  not  customary  then  to  shoe 
the  horses  in  Galicia. 

Ostler. — Senhor,  there  are  no  horses  in 
Galicia,  there  are  only  ponies;  and  those  who 
bring  horses  to  Galicia,  and  none  but  mad- 
men ever  do,  must  bring  shoes  to  fit  them ; 
only  shoes  of  ponies  are  to  be  found  here. 

Myself. — What  do  you  mean  by  saying 
(hat  only  madmen  bring  horses  to  Galicia? 

Ostler. — Senhor,  no  horse  can  stand  the 
food  of  Galicia  and  the  mountains  of  Galicia 
long,  without  falling  sick;  and  then  if  he 
does  not  die  at  once,  he  will  cost  you  in  far- 
riers more  than  he  is  worth ;  besides,  a  horse 
is  of  no  use  here,  and  cannot  perform  amongst 
(he  broken  ground  the  tenth  part  of  the  ser- 
vice which  a  little  pony  mare  can.  By  the 
by,  Senhor,  I  perceive  that  yours  is  an  en- 
tire horse  ;  now  out  of  twenty  ponies  that  you 
see  on  the  roads  of  Galicia,  nineteen  are 


my  acquaintance,  I  have  known  them  at 
Madrid  :  in  the  first  ravine  they  will  shoot 
and  plunder  us."  I  therefore  civilly  declined 
their  offer  and  departed.  "  You  seem  to  be 
acquainted  with  all  the  cut-throats  in  Gali- 
cia," said  I  to  Antonio,  as  we  descended  the 
hill. 

"  With  respect  to  those  two  fellows,"  ha 
replied,  "I  knew  them  when  1  lived  as  cook 

in  the  family  of  General  Q ,  who  is  a 

Gallegan  :  they  were  sworn  friends  of  the  re- 
postero.  All  the  Gallegans  in  Madrid  know 
each  other,  whether  high  or  low  makes  no  dif- 
ference ;  there,  at  least,  they  are  all  good 
friends,  and  assist  each  other  on  all  imaginable 
occasions  ;  and  if  there  be  a  Gallegan  domestic 
in  a  house,  the  kitchen  is  sure  to  be  filled  wilh 
his  countrymen,  as  the  cook  frequently  knows 
to  his  cost,  for  they  generally  contrive  to  eat 


up  any  little  perquisites  which  he  may  have 
mares  ;  the  males  are  sent  dov?n  into  Castile  I  reserved  for  himself  and  family." 


to  be  sold.  Senhor,  your  horse  will  become 
heated  on  our  roads,  and  will  catch  the  bad 
glanders,  for  which  there  is  no  remedy.  Sen- 
hor, a  man  must  be  mad  to  bring  any  horse 
to  Galicia,  but  twice  mad  to  bring  an  entero, 
as  you  have  done." 

"  A  strange  country  this  of  Galicia,"  said 
I,  and  went  to  consult  with  Antonio. 

It  appeared  that  the  information  of  the 
ostler  was  literally  true  with  regard  to  the 
hirse-shoe;  at  least  the  blacksmith  of  the 
village,  to  whom  we  conducted  the  animal, 
confessed  his  inability  to  shoe  him,  having 
none  that  would  fit  his  hoof:  he  said  it  was 
very  probable  that  we  should  be  obliged  to 
lead  the  animal  to  Lugo,  which,  being  a  cav- 
alry station,  we  might  perhaps  find  there 
what  we  wanted.  He  added,  however,  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  cavalry  soldiers  were 
mounted  on  the  ponies  of  the  country,  the 
mortality  amongst  the  horses  brought  from 
the  level  ground  into  Galicia  being  frightful. 
Lugo  was  ten  leagues  distant :  there  seemed, 
however,  to  be  no  remedy  at  hand  but  pa- 
tience, and,  having  refreshed  ourselves, 
we  proceeded,  leading  our  horses  by  the 
bridle 

We  were  now  on  level  ground,  being  upon 
the  very  top  of  one  of  the  highest  mountains 
in  Galicia.  This  level  continued  for  about  a 
league,  when  we  began  to  descend.  Before 
we  had  crossed  the  plain,  which  was  over- 
grown with  furze  and  brushwood,  we  came 
suddenly  upon  half  a  dozen  fellows  armed 
wilh  muskets  and  wearing  a  tattered  uniform. 
We  at  first  supposed  them  to  be  banditti : 
they  were,  however,  only  a  party  of  soldiers 
who  had  been  detached  from  the  station  we 
had  just  quitted  to  escort  one  of  the  provin- 
cial posts  or  couriers.  They  were  clamorous 
for  cigars,  but  offered  us  no  farther  incivility. 
Having  no  cigars  to  bestow,  I  gave  them  in 
lieu  thereof  a  small  piece  of  silver.  Two  of 
the  worst  looking  were  very  eager  to  be  per- 
mitted to  escort  us  to  Nogales,  the  village 
where  we  proposed  to  spend  the  night.  "  By 
no  means  permit  them,  mon  maitre,"  said 
Antonio,  "  they  are  two  famous  assassins  of 
K 


Somewhat  less  than  half  way  down  the 
mountain  we  reached  a  small  village.  On 
observing  a  blacksmith's  shop,  we  stopped, 
in  the  faint  hope  of  finding  a  shoe  for  the  horse, 
who  for  want  of  one  was  rapidly  becoming 
lame.  To  our  great  joy  we  found  that  the 
smith  was  in  possession  of  one  single  horse- 
shoe, which  some  time  previously  he  had 
found  upon  the  way.  This,  after  undergoing 
much  hammering  and  alteration,  was  pro- 
nounced by  the  Gallegan  vulcan  to  be  capable 
of  serving  in  lieu  of  a  better;  whereupon  we 
again  mounted,  and  slowly  continued  our  de- 
scent. 

Shortly  ere  sunset  we  arrived  at  Nogales,  a 
hamlet  situate  in  a  narrow  valley  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  in  traversing  which  we  had 
spent  the  day.  Nothing  could  be  more  pic- 
turesque than  the  appearance  of  this  spot: 
steep  hills,  thickly  clad  with  groves  and 
forests  of  chestnuts,  surrounded  it  on  every 
side;  the  village  itself  was  almost  embowered 
in  trees,  and  close  beside  it  ran  a  purling 
brook.  Here  we  found  a  tolerably  large  and 
commodious  posada. 

I  was  languid  and  fatigued,  but  felt  little 
desire  to  sleep.  Antonio  cooked  our  supper, 
or  rather  his  own,  for  I  had  no  appetite.  I  sat 
by  the  door,  gazing  at  the  wood-covered 
heights  above  me,  or  on  the  waters  of  the 
rivulet,  occasionally  listening  to  the  people 
who  lounged  about  the  house,  conversing  in 
the  country  dialect.  What  a  strange  tongue 
is  the  Gallegan,  with  its  half  singing  half 
whining  accent,  and  with  its  confused  jumble 
of  words  from  many  languages,  but  chiefly 
from  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese.  "  Can 
you  understand  this  conversation  ]"  I  de- 
manded of  Antonio,  who  had  by  this  time  re- 
joined me.  "  I  cannot,  mon  maitre,"  he 
replied  ;  "  I  have  acquired  at  various  timeg  a 
great  many  words  amongst  the  Gallegan  do- 
mestics in  the  kitchens  where  I  have  officiated 
as  cook,  but  am  quite  unable  to  understand 
any  long  conversation.  I  have  heard  the 
Gallegans  say  that  in  no  two  villages  is  it 
spoken  in  one  and  the  same  manner,  and  that 
very  frequently  they  do  not  understand  each 


110 


THE   BIBLE   IN  SPAIN. 


ether.     The  worst  of  this  language  is,  that!  Gallegan  devil  who  would  dare  to  harm  him. 
every   body    on   first   hearing  it  thinks   that  Barbarous  country, /o  locren.-  neither  oil  nor 
r.cthino-  is  more  easy  than  to  understand  it,  as|  olives,  bread  nor  barley, 
words  are  continually  occurring  which  he  hasi  Cordova.      Vaya;    obli 
heard  before;  but  these  merely  serve  to  be- ,  takingr  this  cigar." 


You  have  been  al 
cavalier,   by 


wilder  and  puzzle  him,  causing  him  to  mis- 
understand every  thing  that  is  said;  whereas, 
if  he  were  totally  ignorant  of  the  tongue,  he 


In  this  manner  we  proceeded  for  several 
hours,  up  hill  and  down  dale,  but  generally  at 
a  very  slow  pace.     The  soldiers  who  escorted 


would  occasionally  give  a  shrewd  guess  at  us   from   time  to  time  sang  patriotic  songs 


what  was  meant,  as  I  myself  frequently  do 
when  I  hear  Basque  spoken,  though  the  only 
word  which  I  know  of  that  language  is 
jaungutcoa.^'' 

As  the  night  closed  in  I  retired  to  bed, 
where  I  remained  four  or  five  hours,  restless 
and  tossing  about;  the  fever  of  Leon  still 
clinging  to  my  system.  It  was  considerably 
past  midnight  when,  just  as  I  was  sinking 
into  a  slumber,  I  was  aroused  by  a  confused 
noise  in  the  village,  and  the  glare  of  lights 
through  the  lattice  of  the  window  of  the  room 
where  I  lay;  presently  entered  Antonio,  half 
dressed,  "  Mon  maitre,"  said  he,  "the  grand 
post  from  Madrid  to  Coruna  has  just  arrived 
in  the  village,  attended  by  a  considerable 
escort,  and  an  immense  number  of  travellers. 
The  road,  they  say,  between  here  and  Lugo, 
is  infested  with  robbers  and  Carlists,  who  are 
committing  all  kinds  of  atrocities ;  let  us, 
therefore,  avail  ourselves  of  the  opportunity, 
and  by  midday  to-morrow  we  shall  find  our- 
selves safe  in  Lugo."  On  hearing  these 
words,  I  instantly  sprang  out  of  bed  and 
dressed  myself,  telling  Antonio  to  prepare  the 
horses  with  all  speed. 

We  were  soon  mounted  and  in  the  street, 
amidst  a  confused  throng  of  men  and  quad- 
rupeds. The  light  of  a  couple  of  flambeaus, 
which  were  borne  before  the  courier,  shone  on 
the  arms  of  several  soldiers,  seemingly  drawn 
up  on  either  side  of  the  road  ;  the  darkness, 
however,  prevented  me  from  distinguishing 
objects  very  clearly.  The  courier  himself 
was  mounted  on  a  little  shaggy  pony ;  before 
and  behind  him  were  two  immense  port- 
manteaus or  leather  sacks,  the  ends  of  which 
neatly  touched  the  ground.  For  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  there  was  much  hubbub, 
shouting,  and  trampling,  at  the  end  of  which 
period,  the  order  was  given  to  proceed. 
Scarcely  had  we  left  the  village,  when  the 
flambeaus  were  extinguished,  and  we  were 
left  in  almost  total  darkness;  for  some  time 
we  were  amongst  woods  and  trees,  as  was 
evident  from  the  rustling  of  leaves  on  every 
side.  My  horse  was  very  uneasy  and  neighed 
fearfully,  occasionally  raising  himself  bolt  up- 
right. "If  your  horse  is  not  more  quiet, 
cavalier,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  shoot  him," 
said  a  voice  in  an  Andalusian  accent;  "he 
disturbs  the  whole  cavalcade."  "  That  would 
be  a  pity,  sergeant,"  I  replied,  "  for  he  is  a 
Coftlovese  by  the  four  sides;  he  is  not  used 
to  the  ways  of  this  barbarous  country."  "Oh, 
he  is  a  Cordovese,"  said  the  voice,  "vaya, 
I  did  not  know  that;  I  am  from  Cordova  my- 
self. Pobrecito  I  let  me  pat  him — yes,  I 
know  by  his  coat  that  he  is  my  countryman — 


breathing  love  and  attachment  to  the  young 
Queen  Isabel,  and  detestation  of  the  grim 
tyrant  Carlos.  One  of  the  stanzas  which 
reached  my  ears,  ran  somethino  in  the  follow- 
ing style : — 

"Don  Carlos  is  a  hoary  churl. 
Of  cruel  heart,  and  cold  ; 
But  Isabel's  a  harmless  girl, 
Of  only  six  years  old." 

At  last  the  day  began  to  break,  and  I  found 
myself  amidst  a  train  of  two  or  three  hundred 
people,  some  on  foot,  but  the  greater  part 
mounted,  either  on  mules  or  the  pony  mares : 
I  could  not  distinguish  a  single  horse  except 
my  own  and  Antonio's.  A  few  soldiers  were 
thinly  scattered  along  the  road.  The  country 
was  hilly,  but  less  mountainous  and  pic- 
turesque than  the  one  which  we  had  traversed 
the  preceding  day ;  it  was  for  the  most  part 
partitioned  into  small  fields  which  were 
planted  with  maize.  At  the  distance  of  every 
two  or  three  leagues  we  changed  our  escort, 
at  some  village  where  was  stationed  a  detach- 
ment. The  villages  were  mostly  an  assem- 
blage of  wretched  cabins;  the  roofs  were 
thatched,  dank,  and  moist,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  covered  with  rank  vegetation.  There 
were  dunghills  before  the  doors,  and  no  lack 
of  pools  and  puddles.  Immense  swine  were 
stalking  about,  intermingled  with  naked  chil- 
dren. The  interior  of  the  cabins  corresponded 
with  their  external  appearance :  they  were 
filled  with  filth  and  misery. 

We  reached  Lugo  about  two  hours  past 
noon:  during  the  last  two  or  three  leagues,  1 
became  so  overpowered  with  weariness,  the 
result  of  want  of  sleep  and  my  late  illness, 
that  I  was  continually  dozing  in  my  saddle, 
so  that  I  took  but  little  notice  of  what  was 
passing.  We  put  up  at  a  large  posada  with- 
out the  wall  of  the  town,  built  upon  a  steep 
bank,  and  commanding  an  extensive  view  of 
the  country  towards  the  East.  Shortly  after 
our  arrival,  the  rain  began  to  descend  in  tor- 
rents, and  continued  without  intermission 
during  the  next  two  days,  which  was,  how- 
ever, to  me  but  a  slight  source  of  regret,  as  I 
passed  the  entire  time  in  bed,  and  I  may  almost 
say  in  slumber.  On  the  evening  of  the  third 
day  I  arose. 

There  was  much  bustle  in  the  house,  caused 
by  the  arrival  of  a  family  from  Coruna ;  they 
came  in  a  large  jaunting  car,  escorted  by  four 
carabineers.  The  family  was  rather  numer- 
ous, consisting  of  a  father,  son,  and  eleven 
daughters,  the  eldest  of  whom  might  be  about 
eighteen.  A  shabby  looking  fellow,  dressed 
in  a  jerkin  and  wearing  a  high  crowned  hat, 
attended  as  domestic.     They  arrived  very  wet 


shoot  bim,  indeed !  vaya,  I  would  fain  see  the  and  shivering,  and  all  seemed  very  disconso- 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


Ill 


late,  especially  the  father,  who  was  a  well- 
Jooking  middle-aged  man.  "  Can  we  be 
accommodated  V  he  demanded  in  a  gentle 
voice  of  the  man  of  the  house;  "can  we  be 
accommodated  in  this  fondal" 

"  Certainly,  your  worship,"  replied  the 
other;  "our  house  is  large.  How  many 
apartments  does  your  worship  require  foryour 
family  ?" 

"  One  will  be  sufficient,"  replied  the 
stranger. 

The  host,  who  was  a  gouty  personage  and 
leaned  upon  a  stick,  looked  for  a  moment  at 
the  traveller,  then  at  every  member  of  his 
family,  not  forgetting  the  domestic,  and, 
without  any  farther  comment  than  a  slight 
shrug,  led  the  way  to  the  door  of  an  apart- 
ment containing  two  or  three  flock  beds, 
and  which  on  my  arrival  I  had  objected  to 
as  being  small,  dark,  and  incommodious; 
this  he  flung  open  and  demanded  whether  it 
would  serve. 

"  It  is  rather  small,"  replied  the  gentleman; 
"I  think,  however,  that  it  will  do." 

"  I  am  glad  of  it,"  replied  the  host.  "  Shall 
we  make  any  preparations  for  the  supper  of 
your  worship  and  family  T" 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  replied  the  stranger, 
"my  own  domestic  will  prepare  the  slight  re- 
freshment we  are  in  need  of." 

The  key  was  delivered  to  the  domestic,  and 
the  whole  family  ensconsed  themselves  in 
their  apartment;  before,  however,  this  was 
effected,  the  escort  were  dismissed,  the  princi- 
pal carabineer  being  presented  with  a  peseta. 
The  man  stood  surveying  the  gratuity  for 
about  half  a  minute,  as  it  glittered  in  the  palm 


of  his  hand;  then  with  an  abrupt  Vamos!  he 
turned  upon  his  heel,  and  without  a  word  of 
salutation  to  any  person,  departed  with  the 
men  under  his  command. 

"  Who  can  these  strangers  be  ]"  said  I  to 
the  host,  as  we  sat  together  in  a  large  corridor 
open  on  one  side,  and  which  occupied  the  en- 
tire front  of  the  house. 

"  I  know  not,"  he  replied,  "  but  by  their  es- 
cort I  suppose  they  are  people  holding  some 
official  situation.  They  are  not  of  this  pro- 
vince, however,  and  I  more  than  suspect  them 
to  be  Andalusians." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  door  of  the  apartment 
occupied  by  the  strangers  was  opened,  and 
the  domestic  appeared,  bearing  a  cruise  in  his 
hand.  "  Pray,  Senor  Patron,"  demanded  he, 
"  where  can  I  buy  some  oil  1" 

"  There  is  oil  in  the  house,"  replied  the 
host,  "  if  you  want  to  purchase  any  ;  but  if  as 
is  probable,  you  suppose  that  we  shall  gain  a 
cuarto  by  selling  it  you  will  find  some  over 
the  way.  It  is  as  I  suspected,"  continued 
the  host,  when  the  man  departed  on  his  errand, 
"they  are  Andalusians,  and  are  about  to 
make  what  they  call  gaspacho,  on  which  they 
will  all  sup.  Oh,  the  meanness  of  these  An- 
dalusians! they  are  come  here  to  suck  the 
vitals  of  Galicia,  and  yet  envy  the  poor  inn- 
keeper the  gain  of  a  cuarto  in  the  oil  which 
they  require  for  their  gaspaco.  I  tell  you  one 
thing,  master,  when  that  fellow  returns,  and 
demands  bread  and  garlic  to  mix  with  the  oil, 
I  will  tell  him  there  is  none  in  the  house  :  as 
he  has  bought  the  oil  abroad,  so  he  may  the 
bread  and  garlic ;  ay,  and  the  water  too,  for 
that  matter." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


Lus^o — The  Baths — A  Family  History — Miguelets — The  Three  Heads — A  Farrier — English 
Squadron — Sale  of  Testaments — Coruna — The  Recognition — Luigi  Piozzi — The  Speculation — 
A  Blank  Prospect — John  Moore. 


At  Lugo  I  found  a  wealthy  bookseller  to 
whom  1  brought  a  letter  of  recommendation 
from  Madrid.  He  willingly  undertook  the 
sale  of  my  books.  The  Lord  deigned  to  fa- 
vour my  feeble  exertions  in  his  cause  at 
Lugo.  I  brought  thither  thirty  Testaments, 
all  of  which  were  disposed  of  in  one  day; 
the  Bishop  of  the  place  for  Lugo  is  an 
episcopal  see,  purchasing  two  copies  for 
himself,  whilst  several  priests  and  ex-friars, 
instead  of  following  the  example  of  their 
brethren  at  Leon,  by  persecuting  the  work, 
spoke  well  of  it  and  recommended  its  perusal. 
I  was  much  grievpd  that  my  stock  of  these 
holy  books  was  exhausted,  there  being  a  great 
demand  ;  and  had  I  been  able  to  supply  them, 
quadruple  the  quantity  might  have  been  sold 
during  the  few  days  that  I  continued  at  Lugo. 

Lugo  contains  about  six  thousand  inhabi- 


tants, It  is  situate  on  lofty  ground,  and  is 
defended  by  ancient  walls.  It  possesses  no 
very  remarkable  edifice,  and  the  cathedral 
church  itself  is  a  small  mean  building.  In 
the  centre  of  the  town  is  the  principal  square, 
a  light  cheerful  place,  not  surrounded  by  those 
heavy  cumbrous  buildings  with  which  the 
Spaniards,  both  in  ancient  and  modern  times, 
have  encircled  their  plazas.  It  is  singular 
enough  that  Lugo,  at  present  a  place  of  very 
little  importance,  should  at  one  period  have 
been  the  capital  of  Spain;  yet  such  it  was  in 
the  time  of  the  Romans,  who,  as  they  were  a 
people  not  much  guided  by  caprice,  had 
doubtless  very  excellent  reasons  for  the  pre- 
ference which  they  gave  to  the  locality. 

There  are  many  Roman  remains  in  the 
vicinity  of  this  place,  the  most  remarkable  of 
which  are  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  medicinal 


112 


THE   BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


baths,  which  stand  on  the  southern  side  of  ] 
the  river  Minho,  which  creeps  through  the 
valley  beneath  ihe  town.  The  Minho  in  this 
place  is  a  dark  and  sullen  stream,  with  high 
precipitous  and  thickly  wooded  banks. 

One  evening  I  visited  the  baths,  accom- 
panied by  my  friend  the  bookseller.  They 
had  been  built  over  warm  springs  which 
flow  in'o  the  river.  Notwithstanuiug  their 
ruinous  condition,  they  were  crowded  with 
sick,  hoping  to  derive  benefit  from  the  waters, 
which  are  still  famed  for  their  sanative 
power.  These  patients  exhibited  a  strange 
spectacle  as,  wrapped  in  flannel  gowns  much 
resembling  shrouds,  they  lay  immersed  in 
the  tepid  waters  amongst  disjointed  stones, 
and  overhung  with  steam  and  reek. 

Three  or  four  days  after  my  arrival  I  was 
seated  in  the  corridor  which,  as  I  have 
already  observed,  occupied  the  entire  front 
of  the  house.  The  sky  was  unclouded,  and 
the  sun  shone  most  gloriously,  enlivening 
every  object  around.  Presently  the  door  of 
the  apartment  in  which  the  strangers  were 
lodged  opened,  and  forth  walked  the  whole 
family,  with  the  exception  of  the  father, 
who,  1  presumed,  was  absent  on  business. 
The  shabby  domestic  brought  up  the  rear, 
and,  on  leaving  the  apartment,  carefully 
locked  the  door,  and  secured  the  key  in  his 
pocket.  The  one  son  and  the  eleven  daugh- 
ters were  all  dressed  remarkably  well:  the 
boy  something  after  the  English  fashion,  in 
jacket  and  trousers,  the  young  ladies  in 
spotless  white :  they  were,  upon  the  whole, 
a  very  good  looking  family,  with  dark  eyes 
and  olive  complexions,  but  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter was  remarkably  handsome  They  ar- 
ranged themselves  upon  the  benches  of  the 
corridor,  the  shabby  domestic  sitting  down 
amongst  them  without  any  ceremony  what- 
ever. They  continued  for  some  time  in 
silence,  gazing  with  disconsolate  looks  upon 
the  houses  of  the  suburb,  and  the  dark  walls 
of  the  town,  until  the  eldest  daughter,  or  se- 
iiorita  as  she  was  called,  broke  silence  with 
an  "  *iy  Dios  mio!" 

Domestic. — ^y  Dios  mio!  we  have  found 
our  way  to  a  pretty  country. 

Myself. — I  really  can  see  nothing  so  very 
bad  in  the  country,  which  is  by  nature  the 
richest  in  all  Spain,  and  the  most  abundant. 
True  it  is  that  the  generality  of  the  inhabi- 
tants are  wretchedly  poor,  but  they  them- 
selves are  to  blame,  and  not  the  country. 

Domestic. — Cavalier,  the  country  is  a  hor- 
rible one,  say  nothing  to  the  contrary.  We 
are  all  frightened,  the  young  ladies,  the 
young  gentleman,  and  myself;  ^  even  his 
■worship  is  frightened,  and  says  that  we  are 
come  to  this  country  for  our  sins.  It  rains 
every  day,  and  this  is  almost  the  first  time 
that  we  have  seen  the  sun  since  our  arrival. 
It  rains  continually,  and  one  cannot  step  out 
without  being  up  to  the  ancles  in  fango; 
and  then,  again,  there  is  not  a  house  to  be 
found. 

Myself. — I  scarcely  understand  you.  There 


appears  to  be  no  lack  of  houses  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood. 

Domestic. — Excuse  me,  sir.  His  worship 
hired  yesterday  a  house,  for  which  he  en- 
gaged to  pay  fourteen  pence  daily ;  but  when 
the  senorita  saw  it,  she  wept,  and  said  it 
was  no  house  but  a  hog-sty,  so  his  worship 
paid  one  day's  rent  and  renounced  his  bar- 
gain. Fourteen  pence  a  day  !  why,  in  our 
country,  we  can  have  a  palace  for  that 
money. 

Myself. — From  what  country  do  you 
come? 

Domestic. — Cavalier,  you  appear  to  be  a 
decent  gentleman,  and  1  will  tell  you  our 
history.  We  are  from  Andalusia,  and  his 
worship  was  last  year  receiver-general  for 
Granada:  his  salary  was  fourteen  thousand 
rials,  with  which  we  contrived  to  live  very 
commodiously — attending  the  bull  funcions 
regularly,  or  if  there  were  no  bulls,  we  went 
to  see  the  novillos,  and  now  and  then  to  the 
opera.  In  a  word,  sir,  we  had  our  diver- 
sions and  felt  at  our  ease ;  so  much  so,  that 
his  worship  was  actually  thinking  of  pur- 
chasing a  pony  for  the  young  gentleman, 
who  is  fourteen,  and  must  learn  to  ride  now 
or  never.  Cavalier,  the  ministry  was  changed, 
and  the  new  comers,  who  were  no  friends 
to  his  worship,  deprived  him  of  his  situation. 
Cavalier,  they  removed  us  from  that  blessed 
country  of  Granada,  where  our  salary  was 
fourteen  thousand  rials,  and  sent  us  to  Gali- 
cia,  to  this  fatal  town  of  Lugo,  v/here  his 
worship  is  compelled  to  serve  for  ten  thou- 
sand, which  is  quite  insufficient  to  maintain 
us  in  our  former  comforts.  Good  bye,  I 
trow,  to  bull  funcions,  and  novillos,  and  the 
opera.  Good  bye  to  the  hope  of  a  horse  for 
the  young  gentleman.  Cavalier,  I  grow 
desperate :  hold  your  tongue,  for  God's  sake! 
for  I  can  talk  no  more. 

On  hearing  this  history  I  no  longer  won- 
dered that  the  receiver-general  was  eager  to 
save  a  cuarto  in  the  purchase  of  the  oil  for 
the  gaspacho  of  himself  and  family  of  eleven 
daughters,  one  son,  and  a  domestic. 

We  stayed  one  week  at  Lugo,  and  then 
directed  our  steps  to  Coruna,  about  twelve 
leagues  distant.  We  arose  before  daybreak 
in  order  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  escort  of 
the  general  post,  in  whose  company  we  tra- 
velled upwards  of  six  leagues.  There  was 
much  talk  of  robbers,  and  flying  parties  of 
the  factious,  on  which  account  our  escort 
was  considerable.  At  the  distance  of  five  or 
six  leagues  from  Lugo,  our  guard,  in  lieu  of 
regular  soldiers,  consisted  of  a  body  of  about 
fifty  Miguelets.  They  had  all  the  appear- 
ance of  banditti,  but  a  finer  body  of  ferocious 
fellows  I  never  saw.  They  were  all  men  in 
the  prime  of  life,  mostly  of  tall  stature  and 
of  Herculean  brawn  and  limbs.  They  wore 
huge  whiskers,  and  walked  with  a  fanfaro- 
nading  air,  as  if  they  courted  danger  and  de- 
spised it.  In  every  respect  they  stood  in 
contrast  to  the  soldiers  who  had  hitherto  es- 
corted us,  who  were  mere  feeble  boys  from 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


113- 


sixteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  pos- 1 
sessed  of  neither  energy  nor  activity.  The] 
proper  dress  of  the  Miguelet,  if  it  resembles 
any  thing  military,  is  something  akin  to  that 
anciently  used  by  the  English  marines.  They 
wear  a  peculiar  kind  of  hat,  and  generally 
leggings,  or  gaiters,  and  their  arms  are  the 
gun  and  bayonet.  The  colour  of  their  dress 
is  mostly  dark  brown.  They  observe  little 
or  no  discipline,  whether  on  a  march  or  in 
the  field  of  action.  They  are  excellent  irre- 
gular troops,  and  when  on  actual  service,  are 
particularly  useful  as  skirmishers.  Their 
proper  duty,  however,  is  to  officiate  as  a 
species  of  police,  and  to  clear  the  roads  of 
robbers,  for  which  duty  they  are  in  one  re- 
spect admirably  calculated,  having  been 
generally  robbers  themselves  at  one  period 
of  their  lives.  Why  these  people  are  called 
Miguelets  is  not  easy  to  say,  but  it  is  proba- 
ble that  they  have  derived  this  appellation 
from  the  name  of  their  original  leader.  I 
regret  that  the  paucity  of  my  own  informa- 
tion will  not  allow  me  to  enter  into  farther 
particulars  with  respect  to  this  corps,  con- 
cerning which  I  have  little  doubt  that  many 
remarkable  things  might  be  said. 

Becoming  weary  of  the  slow  travelling  of 
the  post,  1  determined  to  brave  all  risk,  and 
to  push  forward.  In  this,  however,  I  was 
guilty  of  no  slight  imprudence,  as  by  so  do- 
ing I  was  near  falling  into  the  hands  of 
robbers.  Two  fellows  suddenly  confronted 
me  with  presented  carbines,  which  they  pro- 
bably intended  to  discharge  into  my  body, 
but  they  took  fright  at  the  noise  of  Antonio's 
horse,  who  was  following  a  little  way  behind. 
This  affair  occurred  at  the  bridge  of  Castel- 
lanos,  a  spot  notorious  for  robbery  and  mur- 
der, and  well  adapted  for  both,  for  it  stands 
at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  dell  surrounded  by 
wild  desolate  hills.  Only  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  previous,  I  had  passed  three  ghastly 
heads  stuck  on  poles  standing  by  the  way 
side;  they  were  those  of  a  captain  of  banditti 
and  two  of  his  accomplices,  who  had  been 
seized  and  executed  about  two  months  be- 
fore. Their  principal  haunt  was  the  vicinity 
of  the  bridge,  and  it  was  their  practice  to 
cast  the  bodies  of  the  murdered  into  the  deep 
black  water  which  runs  rapidly  beneath. 
Those  three  heads  will  always  live  in  my 
remembrance,  particularly  that  of  the  cap- 
tain, which  stood  on  a  higher  pole  than  the 
other  two :  the  long  hair  was  waving  in  the 
wind,  and  the  blackened,  distorted  features 
were  grinning  in  the  sun.  The  fellows 
whom  I  met  were  the  relics  of  the  band. 

We  arrived  at  Betanzos  late  in  the  after- 
noon. This  town  stands  on  a  creek  at  some 
distance  from  the  sea,  and  about  three  leagues 
from  Coruna.  It  is  surrounded  on  three  sides 
by  lofty  hills.  The  weather  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  day  had  been  dull  and  lowering, 
and  we  found  the  atmosphere  of  Betanzos  in- 
supportably  close  and  heavy.  Sour  and  disa- 
greeable odours  assailed  our  olfactory  organs 
from  all  sides.  The  streets  were  filthy,  so 
15 


were  the  houses,  and  especially  the  posada. 
We  entered  the  stable ;  it  was  strewed  with 
rotton  sea-weeds  and  other  rubbish,  in  which 
pigs  were  wallowing;  huge  and  loathsome 
flies  were  buzzing  around.  "  What  a  pest- 
house!"  I  exclaimed.  But  we  could  find  no 
other  stable,  and  were  therefore  obliged  to 
tether  the  unhappy  animals  to  the  filthy  man- 
gers. The  only  provender  that  could  be  ob- 
tained was  Indian  corn.  At  nightfall  I  led 
them  to  drink  at  a  small  river  which  passes 
through  Betanzos.  Myentero  swallowed  the 
water  greedily;  but  as  we  returned  towards 
the  inn,  I  observed  that  he  was  sad,  and  that 
his  head  drooped.  He  had  scarcely  reached 
the  stall,  when  a  deep  hoarse  cough  assailed 
him.  I  remembered  the  words  of  the  ostler 
in  the  mountains,  "The  man  must  be  mad 
who  brings  a  horse  to  Galicia,  and  doubly  so 
he  who  brings  an  entero."  During  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  the  animal  had  been 
much  heated,  walking  amidst  a  throng  of  at 
least  a  hundred  pony  mares.  He  now  began 
to  shiver  violently.  I  procured  a  quart  of 
anise  brandy,  with  which,  assisted  by  Anto- 
nio, 1  rubbed  his  body  for  nearly  an  hour,  till 
his  coat  was  covered  with  a  white  foam  ;  but 
his  cough  increased  perceptibly,  his  eyes  were 
becoming  fixed,  and  his  members  rigid. 
"There  is  no  remedy  but  bleeding,"  said  I. 
"  Run  for  a  farrier."  The  farrier  came.  "  You 
must  bleed  the  horse,"  1  shouted;  "take 
from  him  an  azumbre  of  blood."  The  farrier 
looked  at  the  animal,  and  made  for  the  door. 
"Where  are  you  going]"  1  demanded. 
"  Home,"  he  replied.  "  But  we  want  you 
here."  "  I  know  you  do,"  was  his  answer ; 
"  and  on  that  account  I  am  going."  "  But 
you  must  bleed  the  horse,  or  he  will  die."  "I 
know  he  will,"  said  the  farrier,  "  but  I  will 
not  bleed  him."  "  Why  7"  I  demanded.  "I 
will  not  bleed  him,  but  under  one  condition." 
"  What  is  that?"  "  What  is  it!— that  you 
pay  me  an  ounce  of  gold."  "Run  up  stairs 
for  the  red  morocco  case,"  said  I  to  Antonio. 
The  case  was  brought;  I  took  out  a  large 
fleam,  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  stone, 
drove  it  into  the  principal  artery  of  the  horse's 
leg.  The  blood  at  first  refused  to  flow,  at 
last,  with  much  rubbing  it  began  to  trickle, 
and  then  to  stream ;  it  continued  so  for  half 
an  hour.  "  The  horse  is  fainting,  mon  mai- 
tre,"  said  Antonio.  "  Hold  him  up,"  said  I, 
"  and  in  another  ten  minutes  we  will  stop  the 
vein." 

I  closed  the  vein,  and  whilst  doing  so  I 
looked  up  into  the  farrier's  face,  arching  my 
eyebrows. 

"Carracho!  what  an  evil  wizard,"  mut- 
tered the  farrier,  as  he  walked  away.  "  If  I 
had  my  knife  here  I  would  stick  him."  We 
bled  the  horse  again  during  the  night,  which 
second  bleeding!  believesaved  him.  Towards 
morning  he  began  to  eat  his  food. 

The  next  day  we  departed  for  Coruna  lead- 
ing our  horses  by  the  bridle ;  the  day  was 
magnificent,  and  our  walk  delightful.  We 
passed  along  beneath  tall  umbrageous  trees, 
which  skirted  the  load  from  Betanzos  to. 
k2 


114 


THE  BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


within  a  short  distance  of  Coruna.     Nothingl 
could  be  more  smiling  and  cheerful  than  the | 
appearance   of  the   country   around.      Vines! 
were  g^rowin^  in  abundance  in  the  vicinity  of  j 
the  villages  through  which  we  passed,  whilst' 
millions   of  maize  plants  upreared  their  tallj 
stalks  and  displayed  their  broad  green  leaves  | 
in  the   fields.      After  walking  about    three  | 
hours,  we  obtained  a  view  of  the  bay  of  Co- 
runa, in   which,  even  at  the   distance   of  a 
league,  we  could  distinguish  three  or  four  im- 
mense ships  riding  at  anchor.     "Can  these 
vessels  belong  to  Spain?"  I  demanded  of  my- 
self.    In  the  very  next  village,  however,  we 
were  informed,  that  the  preceding  evening  an 
English  squadron  had  arrived,  for  what  reason 
nobody  could  say.      "  However,"  continued 
our  informant,   "  they  have  doubtless   some 
design  upon   Galicia.     These  foreigners  are 
the  ruin  of  Spain." 

We  put  up  in  what  is  called  the  Calle 
Real,  in  an  excellent  fonda,  or  posada,  kept 
by  a  short,  thick,  comical  looking  person,  a 
Genoese  by  birth.  He  was  married  to  a  tall, 
ugly,  but  good  tempered  Basque  woman,  by 
whom  he  had  been  blessed  with  a  son  and 
daughter.  His  wife,  however,  had  it  seems 
of  late  summoned  all  her  female  relations  from 
Guipuscoa,  who  now  filled  the  house  to  the 
number  of  nine,  officiating  as  chambermaids, 
cooks,  and  scullions :  they  were  all  very 
ugly,  but  good  natured,  and  of  immense  volu- 
bility of  tongue.  Throughout  the  whole  day 
the  house  resounded  with  their  excellent 
Basque  and  very  bad  Castilian.  The  Geno- 
ese, on  the  contrary,  spoke  little,  for  which  he 
might  have  assigned  a  good  reason ;  he  had 
lived  thirty  years  in  Spain,  and  had  forgotten 
his  own  language  without  acquiring  Spanish, 
which  he  spoke  very  imperfectly. 

We  found  Coruna  full  of  bustle  and  life, 
owing  to  the  arrival  of  the  English  squadron. 
On  the  following  day,  however,  it  departed, 
being  bound  for  the  Mediterranean  on  a  short 
cruize,  whereupon  matters  instantly  returned 
to  their  usual  course. 

I  had  a  depot  of  five  hundred  Testaments 
at  Coruna,  from  which  it  was  my  intention  to 
supply  the  principal  towns  of  Galicia.  Im- 
mediately on  my  arrival  I  published  adver- 
tisements, according  to  my  usual  practice,  and 
the  book  obtained  a  tolerable  sale — seven  or 
eight  copies  per  day,  on  the  average.  Some 
people,  perhaps,  on  perusing  these  details, 
will  be  tempted  to  exclaim:  "These  are 
small  matters,  and  scarcely  worthy  of  being 
mentioned."  But  let  such  bethink  them,  that 
till  within  a  few  months  previous  to  the  time 
of  which  I  am  speaking,  the  very  existence  of 
the  gospel  was  almost  unknown  in  Spain,  and 
that  it  must  necessarily  be  a  difficult  task  to 
induce  a  people  like  the  Spaniards,  who  read 
very  little,  to  purchase  a  work  like  the  New 
Testament,  which,  though  of  paramount  im- 
portance to  the  soul,  affords  but  slight  pros- 
pect of  amtisement  to  the  frivolous  and  carnally 
minded.  I  hoped  that  the  present  was  the 
dawning  of  better  and  more  enlightened  times, 
and  rejoiced  in  the   idea  that  Testaments, 


though  but  few  in  number,  were  being  sold 
in  unfortunate  benighted  Spain,  from  Madrid 
to  the  furthermost  parts  of  Galicia,  a  distance 
of  nearly  four  hundred  miles. 

Coruna  stands  on  a  peninsula,  having  on 
one  side  the  sea,  and  on  the  other  the  cele- 
brated bay,  generally  called  the  Groyne.  It 
is  divided  into  the  old  and  new  town,  the  lat- 
ter of  which  was  at  one  time  probably  a  mere 
suburb.  The  old  town  is  a  desolate  ruinous 
place,  separated  from  the  new  by  a  wide 
moat.  The  modern  town  is  a  much  more 
agreeable  spot,  and  contains  one  magnificent 
street,  the  Calle  Real,  where  the  principal 
merchants  reside.  One  singular  feature  of 
this  street  is,  that  it  is  laid  entirely  with  flags 
of  marble,  along  which  troop  ponies  and  cars 
as  if  it  were  a  common  pavement. 

It  is  a  saying  amongst  the  inhabitants  of 
Coruna,  that  in  their  town  there  is  a  street  so 
clean,  that  puchera  may  be  eaten  of  it  without 
the  slightest  inconvenience.  This  may  cer- 
tainly be  the  fact  after  one  of  those  rains 
which  so  frequently  drench  Galicia,  when  the 
appearance  of  the  pavement  of  the  street  is 
particularly  brilliant.  Coruna  was  at  one 
time  a  place  of  considerable  commerce,  the 
greater  part  of  which  has  latterly  departed  to 
Santander,  a  town  which  stands  a  considera- 
ble distance  down  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 

"  Are  you  going  to  Saint  James,  Giorgio  1 
If  so,  you  will  perhaps  convey  a  message  to 
my  poor  countryman,"  said  a  voice  to  me  one 
morning  in  broken  English,  as  I  was  standing 
at  the  d'^or  of  my  posada,  in  the  royal  street 
of  Coruna. 

I  looked  round  and  perceived  a  man  stand- 
ing near  me  at  the  door  of  a  shop  contiguous 
to  the  inn.  He  appeared  to  be  about  sixty-five, 
with  a  pale  face  and  remarkably  red  nose.  He 
was  dressed  in  a  loose  green  great  coat,  in  his 
mouth  was  a  long  clay  pipe,  in  his  hand  a 
long  painted  stick. 

"  Who  are  you,  and  who  is  your  country- 
man 1"     I  demanded  :  "  I  do  not  know  you." 

"  I  know  you,  however,"  replied  the  man; 
"  you  purchased  the  first  knife  that  I  ever  sold 
in  the  market  place  of  N******." 

Myself. — Ah,  I  remember  you  now,  Luigi 
Piozzi ;  and  w^ell  do  I  remember  also,  how, 
when  a  boy,  twenty  years  ago,  I  used  to  re- 
pair to  your  stall,  and  listen  to  you  and  your 
countrymen  discoursing  in  Milanese. 

Luigi. — Ah,  those  were  happy  tiines  to  me. 
Oh,  how  they  rushed  back  on  my  remem- 
brance when  I  saw  you  ride  up  to  the  door  of 
the  posada.  I  instantly  went  in,  closed  n^y 
shop,  lay  down  upon  my  bed  and  wept. 

Myself. — I  see  no  reason  why  you  should  so 
much  regret  those  times.  I  knew  you  formerly 
in  England  as  an  itinerant  pedlar,  and  occa- 
sionally as  master  of  a  stall  in  the  market- 
place of  a  country  town.  I  now  find  you  in  a 
sea-port  of  Spain,  the  proprietor,  seemingly, 
of  a  considerable  shop.  I  cannot  see  why 
you  should  regret  the  difference. 

Luigi  (dashing  his  pipe  on  the  ground.) — 
Regret  the  difference !  Do  you  know  one 
thing  1    England  is  the  heaven  of  the  Pied- 


THE   BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


115 


montese  and  Milanese,  and  especially  those 
of  Como.  We  never  lie  down  to  rest  but  we 
dream  of  it,  whether  we  are  in  our  own  country 
i>r  in  a  foreign  land,  as  I  am  now.  Regret 
Ihe  difference,  Giorgio!  Do  1  hear  such 
words  from  your  lips,  and  you  an  English- 
man'? I  would  rather  be  the  poorest  tramper 
on  the  r^ads  of  England,  than  lord  of  all  within 
ten  leagues  of  the  shore  of  the  lake  of  Como, 
and  much  the  same  say  all  my  countrymen 
who  have  visited  Entjland,  wherever  they 
now  he.  Regret  the  difference!  I  have  ten 
letters,  from  as  many  countrymen  in  America, 
who  say  they  are  rich  and  thriving,  and  prin- 
cipal men  and  merchants;  but  every  night, 
when  their  heads  are  reposing  on  their  pillows, 
their  souls  auslandra,  hurrying  away  to  Eng- 
land, and  its  green  lanes  and  farm-yards. 
And  there  they  are  with  their  boxes  on  the 
ground,  displaying  their  looking  glasses  and 
other  goods  to  the  honest  rustics  and  their 
dames  and  their  daughters,  and  selling  away 
and  chaffering  and  laughing  just  as  of  old. 
And  there  they  are  again  at  nightfall  in  the 
hedge  alehouses,  eating  their  toasted  cheese 
and  their  bread,  and  drinking  the  Suffolk  ale, 
and  listening  to  the  roaring  song  and  merry 
jests  of  the  labourers.  Now,  if  they  regret 
England  so  who  are  in  America,  which  they 
own  to  be  a  happy  country,  and  good  for  those 
of  Piedmont  and  of  Como,  how  much  more 
must  I  regret  it,  when,  after  the  lapse  of  so 
many  years,  I  find  myself  in  Spain,  in  this 
frightful  town  of  Coruna,  driving  a  ruinous 
trade,  and  where  months  pass  by  without  my 
seeing  a  single  English  face,  or  hearing  a 
word  of  the  blessed  English  tongue. 

Myself. — With  such  a  predilection  for  Eng- 
land, what  could  have  induced  you  to  leave  it 
and  come  to  Spain? 

Luigi. — I  will  tell  you  :  about  sixteen  years 
a<To  a  universal  desire  seized  our  people  in 
England  to  become  something  more  than  they 
had  hitherto  been,  pedlars  andtrampers;  they 
wished,  moreover,  for  mankind  are  never  satis- 
fied, to  see  other  countries :  so  the  greater 
part  forsook  England.  Where  formerly  there 
had  been  ten,  at  present  scarcely  linsfers  one. 
Almost  all  went  to  America,  which,  as  I  told 
you  before,  is  a  happy  country,  and  especially 
good  for  us  men  of  Como.  Well,  all  my 
comrades  and  relations  passed  over  the  sea  to 
the  West.  I,  too,  was  bent  on  travelling: 
but  whither T  Instead  of  going  towards  the 
West  with  the  rest,  to  a  country  where  they 
have  all  thriven,  I  must  needs  come  by  myself 
to  this  land  of  Spain :  a  country  in  which  no 
foreigner  settles  without  dying  of  a  broken 
heart  sooner  or  later.  I  had  an  idea  in  my 
head  that  I  could  make  a  fortune  at  once,  by 
bringing  a  cargo  of  common  English  goods, 
like  those  which  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
selling  amongst  the  villagers  of  England.  So 
I  freighted  half  a  ship  with  such  goods,  for  I 
had  been  successful  in  England  in  my  little 
speculations,  and  I  arrived  at  Coruna.  Here 
at  once  my  vexations  began :  disappointment 
followed  disappointment.  It  was  with  the 
utmost  difficulty  that  I  could  obtain  permis- 


sion to  land  my  goods,  and  this  only  at  a  con- 
siderable sacrifice  in  bribes  and  the  like ;  and 
when  I  had  established  myself  here,  I  found 
that  the  place  was  one  of  no  trade,  and  that 
my  goods  went  off  very  slowly,  and  scarcely 
at  prime  cost.  I  wished  to  remove  to  another 
place,  but  was  informed  that,  in  that  case,  I 
must  leave  my  goods  behind,  unless  I  offered 
fresh  bribes,  which  would  have  ruined  me; 
and  in  this  way  I  have  gone  on  for  fourteen 
years,  selling  scarcely  enough  to  pay  for  my 
shop  and  to  support  myself.  And  so  I  shall 
doubtless  continue  till  I  die,  or  my  goods  are 
exhausted.  In  an  evil  day  I  left  England  and 
came  to  Spain. 

Myself. — Did  you  not  say  that  you  had  a 
countryman  at  St.  James  1 

Ltiigi. — Yes,  a  poor  honest  fellow,  who, 
like  myself,  by  some  strange  chance  found 
his  way  to  Galicia.  I  sometimes  contrive  to 
send  him  a  few  goods,  which  he  sells  at  St. 
James  at  a  greater  profit  than  I  can  here. 
He  is  a  happy  fellow,  for  he  has  never  been 
in  England  and  knows  not  the  difference  be- 
tween the  two  countries.  Oh,  the  green  Eng- 
lish hedge  rows !  and  the  alehouses !  and, 
what  is  much  more,  the  fair  dealing  and  se- 
curity. I  have  travelled  all  over  England  and 
never  met  with  ill  usage,  except  once  down 
in  the  north  amongst  the  Papists,  upon  my 
telling  them  to  leave  all  their  mummeries  and 
go  to  the  parish  church  as  I  did,  and  as  all  my 
countrymen  in  England  did ;  for  know  one 
thing,  Signor  Giorgio,  not  one  of  us  who  have 
lived  in  England,  whether  Piedmontese  or 
men  of  Como,  but  wished  well  to  the  Protes- 
tant religion,  if  he  had  not  actually  become  a 
member  of  it. 

Myself. — What  do  you  propose  to  do  at 
present,  Luigi  ?     What  are  your  prospects  ? 

Luigi. — My  prospects  are  a  blank,  Gior- 
gio ;  my  prospects  are  a  blank.  I  propose 
nothing  but  to  die  in  Coruna,  perhaps  in  the 
hospital,  if  they  will  admit  me.  Years  ago 
I  thought  of  fleeing,  even  if  I  left  all  behind 
me,  and  either  returning  to  England,  or  be- 
taking myself  to  America;  but  is  too  late 
now,  Giorgio,  it  is  too  late.  When  I  first 
lost  all  hope,  I  took  to  drinking,  to  which  I 
was  never  before  inclined,  and  I  am  now 
what  T  suppose  you  see. 

"There  is  hope  in  the  Gospel,"  said  I, 
"even  for  you.     I  will  send  you  one." 

There  is  a  small  battery  of  the  old  town 
which  fronts  the  east,  and  whose  wall  is 
washed  by  the  waters  of  the  bay.  It  is  a 
sweet  spot,  and  the  prospect  which  opens 
from  it  is  extensive.  The  battery  itself  may 
be  about  eighty  yards  square ;  some  young 
trees  are  springing  up  about  it,  and  it  is 
rather  a  favourite  resort  of  the  people  of 
Coruna. 

In  the  centre  of  this  battery  stands  the 
tomb  of  Moore,  built  by  the  chivalrous 
French,  in  commemoration  of  the  fall  of  their 
heroic  antagonist.  It  is  oblong  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  slab,  and  on  either  side  bears 
one  of  the  simple  and  sublime  epitaphs  for 
which  our  rivals   are  celebrated,  and  which 


116 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


stand  in  such  powerful  contrast  with  the 
bloated  and  bombastic  inscriptions  which 
deform  the  walls  of  Westminster  Abbey  ; — 

"JOHN  MOORE, 

LEADER   OF    THE    ENGLISH    ARMIES, 

SLAIN    IN    BATTLE, 

1809." 

The  tomb  itself  is  of  marble,  and  around  it 
is  a  quadrangular  wall,  breast  high,  of  rough 
Galleoran  granite;  close  to  each  corner  rises 
from  the  earth  the  breech  of  an  immense 
brass  cannon,  intended  to  keep  the  wall  com- 
pact and  close.  These  outer  erections  are, 
however,  not  the  work  of  the  French,  but  of 
the  English  government. 

Yes,  there  lies  the  hero,  almost  within  sight 
of  the  glorious  hill  where  he  turned  upon 
his  pursuers  like  a  lion  at  bay  and  terminated 
his  career.  Many  acquire  immortality  with- 
out seeking  it,  and  die  before  its  first  ray  has 
gilded  their  name  ;  of  these  was  Moore.  The 
harassed  general,  flying  through  Castile  with 


his  dispirited  troops  before  a  fierce  and  terri 
ble  enemy,  little  dreamed  that  he  was  on  the 
point  of  attaining  that  for  which  many  abetter, 
greater,  though  certainly  not  braver  man, 
had  sighed  in  vain.  His  very  misfortunes 
were  the  means  which  secured  him  immortal 
fame  ;  his  disastrous  route,  bloody  death,  and 
finally,  his  tomb  on  a  foreign  strand,  far  from 
kin  and  friends.  There  is  scarcely  a  Spaniard 
but  has  heard  of  this  tomb,  and  speaks  of  it 
with  a  strange  kind  of  awe.  Immense  trea- 
sures are  said  to  have  been  buried  with  the 
heretic  general,  though  for  what  purpose  no 
one  pretends  to  guess.  The  demons  of  the 
clouds,  if  we  may  trust  the  Gallegans,  fol- 
lowed the  English  in  their  flight,  and  assailed 
them  with  water-spouts  as  they  toiled  np  the 
steep  winding  paths  of  Fuencebadon  ;  whilst 
legends  the  most  wild  are  related  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  stout  soldier  fell.  Yes, 
even  in  Spain,  immortality  has  already 
crowned  the  head  of  Moore; — Spain,  the 
land  of  oblivion,  where  the  G  uadalete*  flows 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

Compostella — Rev  Romero — The  Treasure-Seeker — Hopeful  Project — The  Church  of  Refuge 
Hidden  Riches — The  Canon  Spirit  of  Localism — The  Leaper — Bones  of  Saint  James. 


At  the  commencement  of  August,  I  found 
myself  at  St.  James  of  Compostella.  To 
this  place  I  travelled  from  Coruna  with  the 
courier  or  weekly  post,  who  was  escorted  by  a 
strong  party  of  soldiers,  inconsequence  of  the 
distracted  state  of  the  country,  which  was 
overrun  with  banditti.  From  Coruna  to  Saint 
James,  the  distance  is  but  ten  leagues;  the 
journey,  however,  endured  for  a  day  and  a 
half.  It  was  a  pleasant  one,  through  a  most 
beautiful  country,  with  a  rich  variety  of  hill 
and  dale  ;  the  road  was  in  many  places  shaded 
•with  various  kinds  of  trees  clad  in  a  most 
luxuriant  foliage.  Hundred  of  travellers,  both 
on  foot  and  on  horseback,  availed  themselves 
of  the  security  which  the  escort  afforded  :  the 
dread  of  banditti  was  strong.  During  the 
journey  two  or  three  alarms  were  given;  we, 
however,  reached  Saint  James  without  having 
been  attacked. 

Saint  James  stands  on  a  pleasant  level 
amidst  mountains :  the  most  extraordinary  of 
these  is  a  conical  hill,  called  the  Pico  Sacro, 
or  Sacred  Peak,  connected  with  which  are 
many  wonderful  legends.  A  beautiful  old 
town  is  Saint  James,  containing  about 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  Time  has  been 
when,  with  the  single  exception  of  Rome,  it 
•was  the  most  celebrated  resort  of  pilgrims  in 
the  world  ;  its  cathedral  being  said  to  con- 
tain the  bones  of  Saint  James  the  elder,  the 
child  of  the  thunder,  who,  according  to  the 
legend  of  the  Romish  church,  first  preached 


the  Gospel  in  Spain.  Its  glory,  however,  as 
a  place  of  pilgrimage  is  rapidly  passing 
away. 

The  cathedral,  though  a  work  of  various 
periods  and  exhibiting  various  styles  of  archi- 
tecture, is  a  majestic  venerable  pile,  in  every 
respect  calculated  to  excite  awe  and  admira- 
tion; indeed,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  walk 
its  long  dusky  aisles,  and  hear  the  solemn 
music  and  the  noble  chanting,  and  inhale  the 
incense  of  the  mighty  censers,  which  are  at 
times  swung  so  high  by  machinery  as  to 
smite  the  vaulted  roof,  whilst  gigantic  tapers 
glitter  here  and  there  amongst  the  gloom,  from 
the  shrine  of  many  a  saint,  before  which  the 
worshippers  are  kneeling,  breathing  forth  their 
prayers  and  petitions  for  help,  love,  and  mercy 
and  entertain  a  doubt  that  we  are  treading  the 
floor  of  a  house  where  God  delighteth  to  dwell. 
Yet  the  Lord  is  distant  from  that  house  ;  he 
hears  not,  he  sees  not,  or  if  he  do,  it  is  anger. 
What  availeth  that  solemn  music,  that  noble 
chanting,  that  incense  of  sweet  savour? 
What  availeth  kneeling  before  that  grand 
altar  of  silver,  surmounted  by  that  figure 
with  its  silver  hat  and  breast-plate,  the  em^ 
blem  of  one  who,  though  an  apostle  and  con- 
fessor, was  at  best  an  unprofitable  servant? 
What  availeth  hoping  for  remission  of  sin 
by  trusting  in  the  merits  of  one  who  pos- 
sessed none,  or  by  paying  homage  to  others 


The  ancient  Lethe. 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAII^. 


117 


who  were  born  and  nurtured  in  sin,  and 
who  alone,  by  the  exercise  of  a  lively  faith 
granted  from  above,  could  hope  to  preserve 
themselves  from  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty  1 

Rise  from  your  knees,  ye  children  of  Com- 
postella,  or  if  ye  bend,  let  it  be  to  the  Al- 
mighty alone,  and  no  longer  on  the  eve  of 
your  patron's  day  address  him  in  the  follow- 
ing strain,  however  sublime  it  may  sound  : 

"  Thou  shield  of  that  faith  which  in  Spam  we 

revere, 
Thou  scourge  of  each  foeman  who  dares  to 

draw  near ; 
Whom  the  Son  of  that  God  who  the  elements 

tames, 
Called  child  of  the  thunder,  immortal  Saint 

James  ! 

"  From  the  blessed  asylum  of  glory  intense, 
Upon  us  thy  sovereign  influence  dispense  ; 
And  list  to  the  praises  our  gratitude  aims 
To  offer  up  worthily,  mighty  Saint  James. 

"  To  thee  fervent  thanks  Spain  shall  ever  outpour ; 

In  thy  name  though  she  glory,  she  glories  yet 
more 

In  thy  thrice-hallowed  corse,  which  the  sanc- 
tuary claims 

Of  high  Cornpostella,  0,  blessed  Saint  James. 

•'  When  heathen  impiety,  loathsome  and  dread. 
With  a  chaos  of  darkness  our  Spain  overspread, 
Thou  wast  the  first  hght  which  dispell' d  with 

its  flames 
The  hell-born  obscurity,  glorious  Saint  James  ! 

"  And  when  tenible  wars  had  nigh  wasted  our 

force. 
All  bright  'midst  the  battle  we  saw  thee  on  horse, 
Fierce  scatt'ring  the  hosts,  whom  their  fury 

proclaims 
To  be  warriors  of  Islam,  victorious  Saint  James. 

'  Beneath  thy  direction,  stretch'd  prone  at  thy 

feet. 
With  hearts  low  and  humble,  this  day  we  intreat 
Thou  wilt  strengthen  the  hope  which  enlivens 

our  frames, 
The  hope  of  thy  favour  and  presence.  Saint 

James. 

"  Then  praise  to  the  Son  and  the  Father  above, 
And  to  that  Holy  Spirit  which  springs  from  their 

love , 
To  that  bright  emanation  whose  vividness  shames 
The  sun's  burst  of  splendour,   and  praise  to 

Saint  James." 

At  Saint  James  I  met  with  a  kind  and  cor- 
dial coadjutor  in  my  biblical  labours  in  the 
bookseller  of  the  place,  Rey  Romero,  a  man 
of  about  sixty.  This  excellent  individual, 
who  was  both  wealthy  and  respected,  took  up 
the  matter  with  an  enthusiasm  which  doubt- 
less emanated  from  on  high,  losing  no  op- 
portunity of  recommending  my  book  to  those 
who  entered  his  shop,  which  was  in  the 
Azabacheria,  and  was  a  very  splendid  and 
commodious  establishment.  In  many  in- 
stances, when  the  peasants  of  the  neighbour- 
hood came  with  an  intention  of  purchasing 
some  of  the  foolish  popular  story-books  of 
Spain,  he  persuaded  them  to  carry  home 
Testaments  instead,  assuring  them  that  the 
sacred  volume  was  a  better,  more  instructive, 


and  even  far  more  entertaining  book  than 
those  they  came  in  quest  of.  He  speedily 
conceived  a  great  fancy  for  me,  and  regularly 
came  to  visit  me  every  evening  at  my  posada, 
and  accompanied  me  in  my  walks  about  the 
town  and  the  environs.  He  was  a  man  of 
considerable  information,  and  though  of  much 
simplicity,  possessed  a  kind  of  good-natured 
humour  which  was  frequently  highly  divert- 
ing. 

I  was  walking  late  one  night  alone  in  the 
Alameda  of  Saint  James,  considering  in  what 
direction  I  should  next  bend  my  course,  for  I 
had  been  already  ten  days  in  this  place  ;  the 
moon  was  shining  gloriously,  and  illumined, 
every  object  around  to  a  considerable  distance. 
The  Alameda  was  quite  deserted  ;  every  body, 
with  the  exception  of  myself,  having  for  some 
time  retired.  I  sat  down  on  a  bench  and 
continued  my  reflections,  which  were  suddenly 
interrupted  by  a  heavy  stumping  sound. 
Turning  my  eyes  in  the  direction  from  which 
it  proceeded,  I  perceived  what  at  first  appeared 
a  shapeless  bulk  slowly  advancing :  nearer  and 
neareritdrew,andl  could  now  distinguish  the 
outline  of  a  man  dressed  in  coarse  brown  gar- 
ments, a  kind  of  Andalusian  hat,  and  using 
as  a  staff  the  long  peeled  branch  of  a  tree. 
He  had  now  arrived  opposite  the  bench  where 
I  was  seated,  when,  stopping,  he  took  off  his 
hat  and  demanded  charity  in  uncouth  tones 
and  in  a  strange  jargon,  which  had  some  re- 
semblance to  the  Catalan.  The  moon  shone 
on  gray  locks  and  on  a  ruddy  weather-beaten 
countenance  which  I  at  once  recognized  : 
"  Benedict  Mol,"  said  I,  "  is  it  possible  that 
I  see  you  at  Compostella  ?" 

"  Och,  mein  Got,  es  ist  der  Herr!"  replied 
Benedict.  "  Och,  what  good  fortune,  that 
the  Herr  is  the  first  person  1  meet  at  Compo- 
stella." 

Myself. — I  can  scarcely  believe  my  eyes. 
Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  have  just  ar- 
rived at  this  place? 

Benedict. — Ow  yes,  I  am  this  moment  ar- 
rived. I  have  walked  all  the  long  way  from 
Madrid. 

Myself. — What  motive  could  possibly  bring 
you  such  a  distance  ? 

Benedict. — Ow,  I  am  come  for  the  schatz — 
the  treasure.  I  told  you  at  Madrid  that  I 
was  coming ;  and  now  I  have  met  you  here, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  I  shall  find  it,  the  schatz. 

Myself. — In  what  manner  did  you  support 
yourself  by  the  way  1 

Benedict. — Ow,l  begged,  I  betteled,and  so 
contrived  to  pick  up  some  cuartos  ;  and  when 
I  reached  Toro,  I  worked  at  my  trade  of  soap- 
making  for  a  time,  till  the  people  said  I  knew 
nothing  about  it  and  drove  me  out  of  the  town. 
So  I  went  on  and  begged  and  betteled  till  I 
arrived  at  Orense,  which  is  in  this  country  of 
Galicia.  Ow,  I  do  not  like  this  country  of 
Galicia  at  all. 

Jlfyse//".— Why  not? 

Benedict. — Why!  because  here  they  all 
beg  and  bettel,  and  have  scarce  any  thing  for 
themselves,  much  less  for  me  whom  they 
know  to  be  a  foreign  man.    O  the  misery  of 


118 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


Galicia.  When  T  amve  at  night  at  one  of 
their  pigsties,  which  they  call  posadas,  and 
ask  for  bread  to  eat  in  the  name  of  God,  and 
straw  to  lie  down  in,  they  curse  me,  and  say 
there  is  neither  bread  nor  straw  in  Galicia; 
and  sure  enough,  since  I  have  been  here  I  have 
seen  neither,  only  something  that  they  call 
broii,  and  a  kind  of  reedy  rubbish  with  which 
they  litter  the  horses  ;  all  my  bones  are  sore 
since  I  entered  Galicia. 

Myself. — And  yet  you  have  come  to  this 
country,  which  you  call  so  miserable,  in 
search  of  treasure  ? 

Benedict. — Ow  yaw,  but  the  schatz  is  bu- 
ried ;  it  is  not  above  ground  ;  there  is  no 
money  above  ground  in  Galicia.  I  must  dig 
it  up;  and  when  I  have  dug  it  up  I  will  pur- 
chase a  eoach  with  six  mules,  and  ride  out  of 
Galicia  to  Lucerne;  and  if  the  Herr  pleases 
to  go  with  me,  he  shall  be  welcome  to  go  with 
me  and  the  schatz. 

Myself. — I  am  afraid  that  you  have  come 
on  a  desperate  errand.  What  do  you  pro- 
pose to  do?     Have  you  any  money  ? 

Benedict. — Not  a  cuart ;  but  1  do  not  care 
now  I  have  arrived  at  Saint  James.  The 
schatz  is  nigh ;  and  I  have,  moreover,  seen 
you,  which  is  a  good  sign;  it  tells  me  that 
the  schatz  is  still  here.  I  shall  go  to  the 
best  posada  in  the  place  and  live  like  a  duke 
till  I  have  an  opportunity  of  digging  up  the 
schatz,  when  I  will  pay  all  scores. 

*'  Do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  I  replied  ; "  find 
out  some  place  in  which  to  sleep,  and  en- 
deavour to  seek  some  employment.  In  the 
mean  time,  here  is  a  trifle  with  which  to 
support  yourself;  but  as  for  the  treasure 
which  you  have  come  to  seek,  I  believe  it 
only  exists  in  your  own  imagination."  I 
gave  him  a  dollar  and  departed. 

I  have  never  enjoyed  more  charming 
walks  than  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Saint 
James.  In  these  I  was  almost  invariably 
accompanied  by  my  friend  the  good  old 
bookseller.  The  streams  are  numerous,  and 
along  their  wooded  banks  we  were  in  the 
habit  of  straying  and  enjoying  the  delicious 
summer  evenings  of  this  part  of  Spain.  Re- 
ligion generally  formed  the  topic  of  our  con- 
versation, but  we  not  unfrequently  talked  of 
the  foreign  lands  which  I  had  visited,  and  at 
other  times  of  matters  which  related  particu- 
larly to  my  companion.  "  We  booksellers 
of  Spain,"  said  he,  "  are  all  liberals ;  we  are 
no  friends  to  the  monkish  system.  How 
indeed  should  we  be  friends  to  it?  It  fosters 
darkness,  whilst  we  live  by  disseminating 
light.  We  love  our  profession,  and  have  all 
more  or  less  suffered  for  it;  many  of  us  in 
the  times  of  terror  were  hanged  for  selling 
an  innocent  translation  from  the  French  or 
English.  Shortly  after  the  Constitution  was 
put  down  by  Angouleme  and  the  French 
bayonets,  I  was  obliged  to  flee  from  Saint 
James  and  take  refuge  in  the  wildest  part  of 
Galicia,  near  Corcubion.  Had  I  not  pos- 
sessed good  friends,  I  should  not  have  been 
alive  now ;  as  it  was,  it  cost  me  a  considera- 


ble sum  of  money  to  arrange  matters. 
Whilst  I  was  away,  ray  shop  was  in  charge 
of  the  ecclesiastical  ofTicers.  They  frequently 
told  my  wife  that  I  ought  to  be  burnt  for  the 
books  which  I  had  sold.  Thanks  be  to  God, 
those  times  are  past,  and  I  hope  they  will 
never  return." 

Once  as  we  were  walking  through  the 
streets  of  Saint  James,  he  stopped  before  a 
church  and  looked  at  it  attentively.  As 
there  was  nothing  remarkable  in  the  appear- 
ance of  this  edifice,  I  asked  him  what  motive 
he  had  for  taking  such  notice  of  it.  "  In  the 
days  of  the  Friars,"  said  he,  "  this  church 
was  one  of  refuge,  to  which  if  the  worst  cri- 
minals escaped,  they  were  safe.  All  were 
protected  there  save  the  negros,  as  they 
called  us  liberals."  "Even  murderers,  1 
suppose?"  said  I.  "Murderers!"  he  an- 
swered, "far  worse  criminals  than  they. 
By  the  by,  I  have  heard  that  you  English 
entertain  the  utmost  abhorrence  of  murder. 
Do  you  in  reality  consider  it  a  crime  of  very 
great  magnitude  ?"  "  How  should  we  not," 
1  replied;  "for  every  other  crime  some  re- 
paration can  be  made;  but  if  we  take  away 
life,  we  take  away  all.  A  ray  of  hope  with 
respect  to  this  world  may  occasionally  enli- 
ven the  bosom  of  any  other  criminal,  but 
how  can  the  murderer  hope?"  "The friars 
were  of  another  way  of  thinking,"  replied 
the  old  man;  "they  always  looked  upon 
murder  as  a  friolera;  but  not  so  the  crime  of 
marrying  your  first  cousin  without  dispensa- 
tion, for  which,  if  we  believe  them,  there  is 
scarcely  any  atonement  either  in  this  world 
or  the  next." 

Two  or  three  days  after  this,  as  we  were 
seated  in  my  apartment  at  the  posada,  en- 
gaged in  conversation,  the  door  was  opened 
by  Antonio,  who,  with  a  smile  on  his  coun- 
tenance, said  that  there  was  a  foreign  geiiUe- 
man  below  who  desired  to  speak  with 
me.  "Show  him  up,"  I  replied;  where- 
upon almost  instantly  appeared  Benedict 
Mol. 

"  This  is  a  most  extraordinary  person," 
said  I  to  the  bookseller.  "  You  Galicians, 
in  general,  leave  your  country  in  quest  of 
money ;  he,  on  the  contrary,  is  come  hither 
to  find  some." 

Rey  Romero. — And  he  is  right.  Galicia 
is  by  nature  the  richest  province  of  Spain, 
but  the  inhabitants  are  very  stupid,  and 
know  not  how  to  turn  the  blessings  which 
surround  them  to  any  account;  but  as  a 
proof  of  what  may  be  made  out  of  Galicia, 
see  how  rich  the  Catalans  become  who  have 
settled  down  here  and  formed  establish- 
ments. There  are  riches  all  around  us,  upon 
the  earth  and  in  the  earth. 

Benedict. — Ow  yaw,  in  the  earth,  that  is 
wlxat  I  say.  There  is  much  more  treasure 
below  the  earth  than  above  it. 

Myself. — Since  I  last  saw  you,  have  you 
discovered  the  place  in  which  you  say  the 
treasure  is  deposited  1 

Benedict.— O  yes,  I  know  all  about  it  now. 


THE  BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


119 


It  is  burled  'neath  the  sacristy  in  the  church 

of  San  Roque. 

Myself. — How  have  you  been  able  to 
make  thai  discovery? 

Benedict. — I  will  tell  you:  the  day  after 
my  arrival  I  walked  about  all  the  city  in 
quest  of  the  church,  but  could  find  none 
which  at  all  answered  to  the  signs  which 
my  comrade  who  died  in  the  hospital  gave 
me.  I  entered  several  and  looked  about,  but 
all  in  vain;  I  could  not  find  the  place  which 
I  had  in  my  mind's  eye.  At  last  the  people 
with  whom  I  lodge,  and  to  whom  I  told  my 
business,  advised  me  to  send  for  a  meiga. 

Myself. — A  meiga !     What  is  that  ? 

Benedict. — Ow  !  a  haxweib,  a  witch  ;  the 
Gallegos  call  them  so  in  their  jargon,  of 
which  I  can  scarcely  understand  a  word. 
So  I  consented,  and  they  sent  for  the 
meiga!  Och  !  what  a  weib  is  that  meiga !  I 
never  saw  such  a  woman ;  she  is  as  large  as 
myself,  and  has  a  face  as  round  and  red  as 
the  sun.  She  asked  me  a  great  many  ques- 
tions in  her  Gallegan,  and  when  I  had  told 
her  all  she  wanted  to  know,  she  pulled  out 
a  pack  of  cards  and  laid  them  on  the  table 
in  a  particular  manner,  and  then  she  said 
that  the  treasure  was  in  the  church  of  San 
Roque;  and  sure  enough,  when  I  went  to 
that  church,  it  answered  in  every  respect  to 
the  signs  of  my  comrade  who  died  in  the 
hospital.  O  she  is  a  powerful  hax,  that  meiga ; 
she  is  well  known  in  the  neighbourhood,  and 
has  done  much  harm  to  the  cattle.  I  gave  her 
half  the  dollar  I  had  from  you  lor  her  trouble. 

Myself. — Then  you  acted  like  a  simple- 
ton ;  she  has  grossly  deceived  you.  But  even 
suppose  that  the  treasure  is  really  deposited 
in  the  church  you  mention,  it  is  not  probable 
that  you  will  be  permitted  to  remove  the 
floor  of  the  sacristy  to  search  for  it. 

Benedict. — Ow,  the  matter  is  already  well 
advanced.  Yesterday  I  went  to  one  of  the 
canons  to  confess  myself  and  receive  absolu- 
tion and  benediction ;  not  that  I  regard  these 
things  much,  but  I  thought  this  would  be  the 
best  means  of  broach  ing  the  matter,  so  I  con- 
fessed myself,  and  then  I  spoke  of  my  travels 
to  the  canon,  and  at  last  I  told  him  of  the  trea- 
sure, and  proposed  that  if  he  assisted  me  we 
should  share  it  between  us.  Ow,  I  wish  you 
had  seen  him;  he  entered  at  once  into  the 
affiiir,  and  said  that  it  might  turn  out  a  very 
profitable  speculation:  and  he  shook  me  by 
the  hand,  and  said  that  I  was  an  honest 
Swiss  and  a  good  Catholic.  And  I  then  pro- 
posed that  he  should  take  me  into  his  house 
and  keep  me  there  till  we  had  an  opportunity 
of  digging  up  the  treasure  together.  This 
he  refused  to  do. 

Rey  Romero. — Of  that  I  have  no  doubt: 
trust  one  of  our  canons  for  not  committing 
himself  so  far  until  he  sees  very  good  reason. 
These  tales  of  treasure  are  at  present  rather 
loo  stale:  we  have  heard  of  them  ever  since 
the  time  of  the  Moors. 

Benedict. — He  advised  me  to  go  to  the 
Captain  General  and  obtain  permission  to 


make  excavations,  in  which  case  he  pro- 
raised  to  assist  me  to  the  utmost  of  his  power. 

Thereupon  the  Swiss  departed,  and  1 
neither  saw  nor  heard  any  thing  farther  of 
him  during  the  time  that  I  continued  at  Saint 
James. 

The  bookseller  was  never  weary  of  show- 
ing me  about  his  native  town,  of  which  he 
was  enthusiastically  fond.  Indeed,  I  have 
never  seen  the  spirit  of  localism,  which  is 
so  prevalent  throughout  Spain,  more  strong 
than  at  Saint  James.  If  thpir  town  did  but 
flourish,  the  Santiagians  seemed  to  care  but 
little  if  all  others  in  Galicia  perished.  Their 
antipathy  to  the  town  of  Coruna  was  un- 
bounded, and  this  feeling  had  of  late  been 
not  a  little  increased  from  the  circumstance 
that  the  seat  of  the  provincial  government 
had  been  removed  from  Saint  James  to 
Coruiia.  Whether  this  change  was  advisable 
or  not,  it  is  not  for  me  who  am  a  foreigner  to 
say;  my  private  opinion,  however,  is  by  no 
means  favourable  to  the  alteration.  Saint 
James  is  one  of  the  most  central  towns  ia 
Galicia,  with  large  and  populous  communi- 
ties on  every  side  of  it,  whereas  Coruna 
stands  in  a  corner,  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  rest.  **  It  is  a  pity  that  the  vecinos 
of  Coruna  cannot  contrive  to  steal  away 
from  us  our  cathedral,  even  as  they  have 
done  our  government,"  said  a  Sanliagian; 
"  then,  indeed,  they  would  be  able  to  cut 
some  figure.  As  it  is,  they  have  not  a 
church  fit  to  say  mass  in."  "A  great  pity 
too,  that  they  cannot  remove  our  hospital," 
would  another  exclaim ;  "  as  it  is,  they  are 
obliged  to  send  us  their  sick,  poor  wretches. 
I  always  think  that  the  sick  of  Coruna  have 
more  ill-favoured  countenances  than  those 
from  other  places ;  but  what  good  can  come 
from  Coruna?" 

Accompanied  by  the  bookseller,  I  visited 
this  hospital,  in  which,  however,  I  did  not 
remain  long;  the  wretchedness  and  unclean- 
liness  which  I  observed  speedily  driving  me 
away.  Saint  James,  indeed,  is  the  grand 
lazar- house  for  all  the  rest  of  Galicia,  which 
accounts  for  the  prodigious  number  of  horri- 
ble objects  to  be  seen  in  its  streets,  who  have 
for  the  most  part  arrived  in  the  hope  of  pro- 
curing medical  assistance,  which,  from  what 
I  could  learn,  is  very  scantily  and  inefficient- 
ly administered.  Amongst  these  unhappy 
wretches  I  occasionally  observed  the  terrible 
leper,  and  instandy  fled  from  him  with  a 
"  God  help  thee,"  as  if  I  had  been  a  Jew  of 
old.  Galicia  is  the  only  province  of  Spain 
where  cases  of  leprosy  are  still  frequent;  a 
convincing  proof  this  that  the  disease  is  the 
result  of  foul  feeding,  and  an  inattention 
to  cleanliness,  as  the  Gallegans,  with  regard 
to  the  comforts  of  life  and  civilized  habits, 
are  confessedly  far  behind  all  the  other  na- 
tives of  Spain. 

"  Besides  a  general  hospital  we  have  like- 
wise a  leper-house,"  said  the  bookseller. 
"Shall  1  show  it  you?  We  have  every 
thing  at  Saint  James.     There   is  nothing 


190 


THE   BIBLE  IN    SPAIN. 


lacking;  the  very  leper  finds  an  inn  here." 
"  I  have  no  objection  to  your  showing  me 
the  house,"  I  replied,  "but  it  must  be  at  a 
distance,  for  enter  it  I  will  not."  Thereupon 
he  conducted  me  down  the  road  which  leads 
towards  Padron  and  Vigo,  and  pointing  to 
two  or  three  huts,  exclaimed,  ''That  is  our 
leper-house."  "  It  appears  a  miserable 
place,"  I  replied:  "what  accommodation 
may  there  be  for  the  patients,  and  who  attends 
to  their  wants?"  "They  are  left  to  them- 
selves," answered  the  bookseller,  "and  pro- 
bably sometimes  perish  from  neglect:  the 
place  at  one  time  was  endowed  and  had  rents 
which  were  appropriated  to  its  support,  but 
even  these  have  been  sequestered  during  the 
late  troubles.  At  present,  the  least  unclean  of 
the  lepers  generally  takes  his  station  by  the 
road  side,  and  begs  for  the  rest.  See  there 
he  is  now." 

And  sure  enough  the  leper  in  his  shining 
scales,  and  half  naked,  was  seated  beneath  a 
ruined  wall.  We  dropped  money  into  the 
hat  of  the  unhappy  being,  and  passed  on. 

"A  bad  disorder  that,"  said  my  friend. 
"  I  confess  that  I,  who  have  seen  so  many 
of  them,  am  by  no  means  fond  of  the  com- 
pany of  lepers.  Indeed,  I  wish  that  they 
■would  never  enter  my  shop,  as  they  occa- 
sionally do  to  beg.  Nothing  is  more  infec- 
tious, as  I  have  heard,  than  leprosy :  there  is 
one  very  virulent  species,  however,  which  is 
particularly  dreaded  here,  the  elephantine: 
those  who  die  of  it  should,  according  to  law, 
be  burnt,  and  their  ashes  scattered  to  the 


winds;  for  if  the  body  of  such  a  leper  be 
interred  in  the  field  of  the  dead,  the  disorder 
is  fortwith  communicated  to  all  the  corses 
even  below  the  earth.  Such,  at  least,  is  our 
idea  in  these  parts.  Lawsuits  are  at  present 
pending  from  the  circumstance  of  elephan- 
tides  having  been  buried  with  the  other  dead. 
Sad  is  leprosy  in  all  its  forms,  but  most  so 
when  elephantine." 

"Talking  of  corses,"  said  I,  "do  you  be- 
lieve that  the  bones  of  St.  James  are  verita- 
bly interred  at  Compostella?" 

"  What  can  I  say,"  replied  the  old  man; 
"you  know  as  much  of  the  matter  as  my- 
self. Beneath  the  high  altar  is  a  large  stone 
slab  or  lid,  which  is  said  to  cover  the  mouth 
of  a  profound  well,  at  the  bottom  of  which 
it  is  believed  that  the  bones  of  the  saint  are 
interred ;  though  why  they  should  be  placed 
at  the  bottom  of  a  well,  is  a  mystery  which 
I  cannot  fathom.  One  of  the  officers  of  the 
church  told  me  that  at  one  time  he  and 
another  kept  watch  in  the  church  during  the 
night,  one  of  the  chapels  having  shortly  be- 
fore been  broken  open  and  a  sacrilege  com- 
mitted. At  the  dead  of  night,  finding  the 
time  hang  heavy  on  their  hands,  they  took  a 
crowbar  and  removed  the  slab  and  looked 
down  into  the  abyss  below;  it  was  dark  as 
the  grave;  whereupon  they  affixed  a  weight 
to  the  end  of  a  long  rope  and  lowered  it 
down.  At  a  very  great  depth  it  seemed  to 
strike  against  something  dull  and  solid  like 
lead;  they  supposed  it  might  be  a  coffin; 
perliaps  it  was,  but  whose  is  the  question. 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


121 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

SKippers  of  Padron — Caldas  de  los  Reyes — Pontevedra — The  Notary  Public — Insane  Barber— An 
Introduction — Gallegan  Language — Ai'ternoon  Ride — Vigo — The  Stranger — Jews  of  the  Desert — 
Bay  of  Vigo — Sudden  Interruption — The  Governor. 


After  a  stay  of  about  a  fortnight  at  Saint 
James,  we  again  mounted  oiir  horses  and  pro- 
ceeded in  the  direction  of  Vigo.  As  we  did 
not  leave  Saint  James  till  late  in  the  after- 
noon, we  travelled  that  day  no  farther  than 
Padron,  a  distance  of  only  three  leagues. 
This  place  is  a  small  port,  situate  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  a  frith  which  communicates  with 
the  sea.  It  is  called  for  brevity's  sake  Padron, 
but  its  proper  appellation  is  Villa  del  Padron, 
or  the  town  of  the  patron  saint;  it  having 
been,  according  to  the  legend,  the  principal 
residence  of  Saint  James  during  his  stay  in 
Galicia.  By  the  Romans  it  was  termed  Ira 
Flavia.  It  is  a  flourishing  little  town,  and 
carries  on  rather  an  extensive  commerce,  some 
of  its  tiny  barks  occasionally  finding  their 
way  across  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  even  so 
far  as  the  Thames  and  London. 

There  is  a  curious  anecdote  connected  with 
the  skippers  of  Padron,  which  can  scarcely  be 
considered  as  out  of  place  here,  as  it  relates 
to  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures.  I  was 
one  day  in  the  shop  of  my  friend  the  booksel- 
ler at  Saint  James,  when  a  stout,  good-hu- 
moured-looking priest  entered.  He  took  up 
one  of  iny  Testaments,  and  forthwith  burst 
into  a  violent  fit  of  laughter.  "  What  is  the 
matter?"  demanded  the  bookseller.  "The 
sight  of  this  book  reminds  me  of  a  circum- 
stance," replied  the  other:  "about  twenty 
years  ago,  when  the  English  first  took  it  into 
their  heads  to  be  very  zealous  in  converting 
us  Spaniards  to  their  own  way  of  thinking, 
they  distributed  a  great  number  of  books  of 
this  kind  amongst  the  Spaniards  who  chanced 
to  be  in  London ;  some  of  them  fell  into  the 
hands  of  certain  skippers  of  Padron,  and  these 
good  folks,  on  their  return  to  Galicia,  were 
observed  to  have  become  on  a  sudden  exceed- 
ingly opinionated  and  fond  of  dispute.  It  was 
scarcely  possible  to  make  an  assertion  in  their 
hearing  without  receiving  a  flat  contradiction, 
especially  when  religious  subjects  were 
brought  on  the  carpet.  '  It  is  false,'  they 
would  say ;  '  Saint  Paul,  in  such  a  chapter 
and  in  such  a  verse,  says  exactly  the  contrary.' 
♦What  can  you  know  concerning  what  Saint 
Paul  or  any  other  saint  has  written  V  the  priests 
would  ask  them.  '  Much  more  than  you  think,' 
they  replied  ;  'we  are  no  longer  to  be  kept  in 
darkness  and  ignorance  respecting  these  mat- 
ters;' and  then  they  would  produce  their  books 
and  read  paragraphs,  making  such  comments 
that  every  person  was  scandalized  :  they  cared 
nothing  about  the  Pope,  and  even  spoke  with 
irreverence  of  the  bones  of  Saint  James. 
However,  the  matter  was  soon  bruited  about, 
and  a  commission  was  despatched  from  our  see 
to  collect  the  books  and  burn  them.  This 
16 


was  eflTected,  and  the  skippers  were  either 
punished  or  reprimanded,  since  which  I  have 
heard  nothing  more  of  them.  I  could  not  for- 
bear laughing  when  I  saw  these  books;  they 
instantly  brought  to  my  mind  the  skippers  of 
Padron  and  their  religious  disputations." 

Our  next  day's  journey  brought  us  to  Pon- 
tevedra. As  there  was  no  talk  of  robbers  in 
these  parts,  we  travelled  without  any  escort 
and  alone.  The  road  was  beautiful  and  pic- 
turesque, though  somewhat  solitary,  especially 
after  we  had  left  behind  us  the  small  town  of 
Caldas.  There  is  more  than  one  place  of  this 
name  in  Spain;  the  one  of  which  I  am  speak- 
ing is  distinguished  from  the  rest  by  being 
called  Caldas  de  los  Reyes,  or  the  warm  baths 
of  the  kings.  It  will  not  be  amiss  to  observe, 
that  the  Spanish  Caldas  is  synonymous  with 
the  Moorish  Alhama,  a  word  of  frequent  oc- 
currence both  in  Spanish  and  African  topo- 
graphy. Caldas  seemed  by  no  means  unde- 
serving of  its  name  :  it  stands  on  a  confluence 
of  springs,  and  the  place  when  we  arrived 
was  crowded  with  people  who  had  come  to 
enjoy  the  benefit  of  the  waters.  In  the  course 
of  my  travels  I  have  observed  that  wherever 
warm  springs  are  found,  vestiges  of  volcanoes 
are  sure  to  be  nigh  ;  the  smooth  black  preci- 
pice, the  divided  mountain,  or  huge  rocks 
standing  by  themselves  on  the  plain  or  on  the 
hill-side,  as  if  Titans  had  been  playing  at 
bowls.  This  last  feature  occurs  near  Caldas 
de  los  Reyes,  the  side  of  the  mountain  which 
overhangs  it  in  the  direction  of  the  south  being 
covered  with  immense  granite  stones,  appa- 
rently at  some  ancient  period  eructed  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  From  Caldas  to  Ponte- 
vedra the  route  was  hilly  and  fatiguing,  the 
heat  was  intense,  and  those  clouds  of  flies, 
which  constitute  one  of  the  pests  of  Galicia, 
annoyed  our  horses  to  such  a  degree  that  we 
were  obliged  to  cut  down  branches  from  the 
trees  to  protect  their  heads  and  necks  from  the 
tormenting  stings  of  these  blood-thirsty  in- 
sects. Whilst  travelling  in  Galicia  at  this 
period  of  the  year  on  horseback,  it  is  always 
advisable  to  carry  a  fine  net  for  the  protection 
of  the  animal,  a  sure  and  commodious  means 
of  defence,  which  appears,  however,  to  be  ut- 
terly unknown  in  Galicia,  where,  perhaps,  it 
is  more  wanted  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world. 

Pontevedra,  upon  the  whole,  is  certainly 
entitled  to  the  appellation  of  a  magnificent 
town,  some  of  its  public  edifices,  especially 
the  convents,  being  such  as  are  nowhere  to  be 
found  but  in  Spain  and  Italy.  It  is  surround- 
ed by  a  wall  of  hewn  stone,  and  stands  at  the 
end  of  a  creek  into  which  the  river  Levroz 
disembogues.     It  is  said  to  have  been  founded 


139 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


by  a  colony  of  Greeks,  whose  captain  was  no 
Jess  a  personage  than  Teucer  the  Telemonian. 
It  was  in  former  times  a  place  of  considera- 
ble commerce ;  and  near  its  port  are  to  be 
seen  the  ruins  of  a  farol,  or  lighthouse,  said 
to  be  of  great  antiquity.  The  port,  however, 
is  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  town, 
and  is  shallow  and  incommodious.  The 
whole  country  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Pon- 
tevedra  is  inconceivably  delicious,  abounding 
with  fruits  of  every  description,  especially 
grapes,  which  in  the  proper  season  are  seen 
hanging  from  the  "  parras"  in  luscious  luxu- 
riance. An  old  Andalusian  author  has  said 
that  it  produces  as  many  orange  and  citron 
trees  as  the  neighbourhood  of  Cordova.  Its 
oranges  are,  however,  by  no  means  good,  and 
cannot  compete  with  those  of  Andalusia. 
The  Pontevedrians  boast  that  their  land  pro- 
duces two  crops  every  year,  and  that  whilst 
they  are  gathering  in  one  they  may  be  seen 
ploughing  and  sowing  another.  They  may 
well  be  proud  of  their  country,  which  is  cer- 
tainly a  highly  favoured  spot. 

The  town  itself  is  in  a  state  of  great  decay, 
and  notwithstanding  the  magnificence  of  its 
public  edifices,  we  found  more  than  the  usual 
amount  of  Galician  filth  and  misery.  The 
posada  was  one  of  the  most  wretched  descrip- 
tion, and  to  mend  the  matter,  the  hostess  was 
a  most  intolerable  scold  and  shrew.  Antonio 
having  found  fault  with  the  quality  of  some 
provision  which  she  produced,  she  cursed 
him  most  immoderatelj'  in  the  country  lan- 
guage, which  was  the  only  one  she  spoke, 
and  threatened  that  if  he  attempted  to  breed 
any  disturbance  in  her  house,  to  turn  the 
horses,  himself,  and  his  master  forthwith  out 
of  doors.  Socrates  himself,  however,  could 
not  have  conducted  himself  on  this  occasion 
with  greater  forbearance  than  Antonio,  who 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  muttered  something 
in  Greek,  and  then  was  silent. 

"Where  dees  the  notary  public  live?"  I 
demanded.  Now,  the  notary  public  vende d 
books,  and  to  this  personage  I  was  recom- 
mended by  my  friend  at  Saint  James.  A  boy 
conducted  me  to  the  house  of  Senor  Garcia, 
for  such  was  his  name.  I  found  him  a  brisk, 
active,  talkative  little  man  of  forty.  He  un- 
dertook with  great  alacrity  the  sale  of  my 
Testaments,  and  in  a  twinkling  sold  two  to  a 
Client  who  was  waiting  in  the  of&ce  and  ap- 
peared to  be  from  the  country.  He  was  an 
enthusiaetic  patriot,  but  of  course  in  a  local 
sense,  for  he  cared  for  no  other  country  than 
Pontevedra. 

'•Those  fellows  of  Vigo,"  said  he,  "say 
their  town  is  a  better  one  than  ours,  and  tliat 
it  is  more  deserving  to  be  the  capital  of  this 
part  of  Galicia.  Did  you  ever  hear  such  fol- 
ly? I  tell  you  what,  friend,  I  should  not 
care  if  Vigo  were  burnt,  and  all  the  fools  and 
rascals  within  it.  Would  you  ever  think  of 
comparing  Vigo  with  Pontevedra?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  replied ;  "  I  have  never 
been  at  Vigo,  but  I  have  heard  say  that  the 
bay  of  Vigo  is  the  finest  in  the  world." 


"  Bay !  my  good  sir.  Bay  !  yes,  the  ras- 
cals have  a  bay,  and  it  is  that  bay  of  theirs 
which  has  robbed  us  of  all  our  commerce. 
But  what  needs  the  capital  of  a  district  with 
a  bay  1  It  is  public  edifices  that  it  wants, 
where  the  provincial  deputies  can  meet  to 
transact  their  business;  now,  so  far  from  there 
being  a  commodious  public  edifice,  there  is  not 
a  decent  house  in  all  Vigo.  Bay !  yes,  they 
have  a  bay,  but  have  they  water  fit  to  drink  1 
Have  they  a  fountain  1  Yes,  they  have,  and 
the  water  is  so  brackish  that  it  would  burst 
the  stomach  of  a  horse.  I  hope,  my  dear  sir, 
that  you  have  not  come  all  this  distance  to 
take  the  part  of  such  a  gang  of  pirates  as 
those  of  Vigo." 

"  I  am  not  come  to  take  their  part,"  I  re- 
plied ;  "  indeed,  I  was  not  aware  that  they 
wanted  my  assistance  in  this  dispute.  I  am 
merely  carrying  to  them  the  New  Testament, 
of  which  they  evidently  stand  in  much  need, 
if  they  are  such  knaves  and  scoundrels  as 
you  represent  them." 

"  Represent  them,  my  dear  sir.  Does  not 
the  matter  speak  for  itself?  Do  they  not  say 
that  their  town  is  better  than  ours,  more  fit  to 
be  the  capital  of  a  district,  que  disparate !  que 
hriboneria  /" 

"  Is  there  a  bookseller's  shop  at  Vigo  1"  I 
inquired. 

"  There  was  one,"  he  replied,  "  kept  by  an 
insane  barber,  I  am  glad,  for  your  sake,  that 
it  is  broken  up,  and  the  fellow  vanished  ;  he 
would  have  played  you  one  of  two  tricks :  he 
would  either  have  cut  your  throat  with  his 
razor,  under  pretence  of  shaving  you,  or  have 
taken  your  books  and  never  have  accounted 
to  you  for  the  proceeds.  Bay !  I  never  could 
see  what  right  such  an  owl's  nest  as  Vigo  has 
to  a  bay." 

No  person  could  exhibit  greater  kindness 
to  another,  than  did  the  notary  public  to  my- 
self, as  soon  as  I  had  convinced  him  that  I 
had  no  intention  of  siding  with  the  men  of  Vigo 
against  Pontevedra.  It  was  now  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  and  he  forthwith  conducted 
me  to  a  confectioner's  shop,  where  he  treated 
me  with  an  iced  cream  and  a  small  cup  of 
chocolate.  From  hence,  we  walked  about 
the  city,  the  notary  showing  the  various  edi- 
fices, especially  the  Convent  of  the  Jesuits: 
"See  that  front,"  said  he,  "what  do  you 
think  of  iff" 

I  expressed  to  him  the  admiration  which  I 
rezdly  felt,  and  by  so  doing  entirely  won  the 
good  notarj^'s  heart :  "  I  suppose  there  is  no- 
thing like  that  at  Vigo  1"  said  I.  He  looked 
at .  me  for  a  moment,  winked,  gave  a  short 
triumphant  chuckle,  and  then  proceeded  on 
his  way,  walking  at  a  tremendous  rate.  The 
Senor  Garcia  was  dressed  in  all  respects  as 
any  English  notary  might  be :  he  wore  a  white 
hat,  brown  frock  coat,  drab  breeches  buttoned 
at  the  knees,  white  stockings,  and  well 
blacked  shoes.  But  I  never  saw  an  English 
notary  walk  so  fast:  it  could  scarcely  be 
called  walking :  it  seemed  more  like  a  suc- 
cession of  galvanic  leaps  and  bounds.     I 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


123 


found  it  impossible  to  keep  up  with  him ; 
"  Where  are  you  conducting  me  f"  I  at  last 
demanded,  quite  breathless. 

"To  the  house  of  the  cleverest  man  in 
Spain,"  he  replied,  "  to  whom  I  intend  to  in- 
troduce you;  for  you  must  not  think  that 
Pontevedra  has  nothing  to  boast  of  but  its 
splendid  edifices  and  its  beautiful  country ; 
it  produces  more  illustrious  minds  than  any 
other  town  in  Spain.  Did  you  ever  hear  of 
the  grand  Tamerlane  ■?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  I,  "but  he  did  not  come 
from  Pontevedra  or  its  neighbourhood :  he 
came  from  the  steppes  of  Tartary,  near  the 
river  Oxus." 

"I  know  he  did,"  replied  the  notary,  "but 
what  1  mean  to  say  is,  that  when  Enrique 
the  Third  wanted  an  ambassador  to  send  to 
that  African,  the  only  man  he  could  find 
suited  to  the  enterprise,  was  a  knight  of  Pon- 
tevedra, Don  *****  by  name.  Let  the 
men  of  Vigo  contradict  that  fact  if  they  can." 

We  entered  a  large  portal  and  ascended  a 
splendid  staircase,  at  the  top  of  which  the 
notary  knocked  at  a  small  door:  "  Who  is  the 
gentleman  to  whom  you  are  about  to  introduce 
me]"  demanded  I. 

"  It  is  the  Advocate  *  *  *  *,"  replied  Gar- 
cia; "he  is  the  cleverest  man  in  Spain,  and 
understands  all  languages  and  sciences." 

We  were  admitted  by  a  respectable-looking 
female,  to  all  appearance  a  housekeeper,  who, 
on  being  questioned,  informed  us  that  the  Ad- 
vocate was  at  home,  and  forthwith  conducted 
us  to  an  immense  room,  or  rather  library,  the 
walls  being  covered  with  books,  except  in 
two  or  three  places,  where  hung  some  fine 
pictures  of  the  ancient  Spanish  school.  There 
was  a  rich  mellow  light  in  the  apartment, 
streaming  through  a  window  of  stained  glass, 
which  looked  to  the  west.  Behind  the  table 
sat  the  Advocate,  on  whom  I  looked  with  no 
little  interest :  his  forehead  was  high  and 
wrinkled,  and  there  was  much  gravity  on  his 
features,  which  were  quite  Spanish.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  long  robe,  and  might  be  about 
sixty ;  he  sat  reading  behind  a  large  table, 
and  on  our  entrance  half  raised  himself  and 
bowed  slightly. 

The  notary  public  saluted  him  most  pro- 
foundly, and,  in  an  under  voice,  hoped  that  he 
might  be  permitted  to  introduce  a  friend  of 
his,  an  English  gentleman,  who  was  travel- 
ling through  Galicia. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  him,"  said  the  Ad- 
vocate, "but  I  hope  he  speaks  Castilian,  else 
we  can  have  but  little  communication ;  for, 
although  I  can  read  both  French  and  Latin,  I 
cannot  speak  them." 

"  He  speaks,  sir,  almost  as  good  Spanish," 
said  the  notary,  "as  a  native  of  Pontevedra." 

"  The  natives  of  Pontevedra,"  I  replied, 
"appear  to  be  better  versed  in  Gallegan  than 
in  Castilian,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  con- 
versation which  I  hear  in  the  streets  is  carried 
on  in  the  former  dialect." 

"The  last  gentleman  which  my  friend  Gar- 
cia introduced  to  me,"  said  the  Advocate, 
"was  a  Portuguese,  who  spoke  little  or  no 


Spanish.  It  is  said  that  the  Gallegan  and 
Portuguese  are  very  similar,  but  when  we 
attempted  to  converse  in  the  two  languages, 
we  found  it  impossible.  I  understood  little 
of  what  he  said,  whilst  my  Gallegan  was  quite 
unintelligible  to  him.  Can  you  understand 
our  country  dialect]"  he  continued. 

"  Very  little  of  it,"  I  replied  ;  *  which  I 
believe  chiefly  proceeds  from  the  peculiar  ac- 
cent and  uncouth  enunciation  of  the  Galle- 
gans,  for  their  language  is  certainly  almost 
entirely  composed  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
words." 

"  So  you  are  an  Englishman,"  said  the 
Advocate.  "  Your  countrymen  have  com- 
mitted much  damage  in  times  past  in  these 
regions,  if  we  may  trust  our  histories." 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  they  sank  your  galleons 
and  burned  your  finest  men-of-war  in  Vigo 
Bay,  and  under  old  Cobham,  levied  a  contri- 
bution of  forty  thousand  pounds  sterling  on 
this  very  town  of  Pontevedra." 

"  Any  foreign  power,"  interrupted  the  no- 
tary public,  "  has  a  clear  right  to  attack  Vigo, 
but  I  cannot  conceive  what  plea  your  country- 
man could  urge  for  distressing  Pontevedra, 
which  is  a  respectable  town,  and  could  never 
have  offended  them." 

"Senor  Cavalier,"  said  the  Advocate,  "I 
will  show  you  my  library.  Here  is  a  curious 
work,  a  collection  of  poems,  written  mostly 
in  Gallegan,  by  the  Curate  of  Fruime.  He 
is  our  national  poet,  and  we  are  very  proud  of 
him." 

We  stopped  upwards  of  an  hour  with  the 
Advocate,  whose  conversation,  if  it  did  not 
convince  me  that  he  was  the  cleverest  man  in 
Spain,  was,  upon  the  whole,  highly  interest- 
ing, and  who  certainly  possessed  an  extensive 
store  of  general  information,  though  he  was 
by  no  means  the  profound  philologist  which 
the  notary  had  represented  him  to  be. 

When  I  was  about  to  depart  from  Ponte- 
vedra, in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  the 
Seiior  Garcia  stood  by  the  side  of  my  horse, 
and  having  embraced  me,  thrust  a  small 
pamphlet  into  my  hand  :  "This  book,"  said 
he,  "  contains  a  description  of  Pontevedra. 
Wherever  you  go,  speak  well  of  Ponteve- 
dra." I  nodded.  "Stay,"  said  he,  "my  dear 
friend,  I  have  heard  of  your  society,  and  will 
do  my  best  to  further  its  views.  I  am  quite 
disinterested,  but  if  at  any  future  time  you 
should  have  an  opportunity  in  speaking  in 
print  of  Seiior  Garcia,  the  notary  public  of 
Pontevedra, — you  understand  me, — I  wish 
you  would  do  so." 

"I  will,"  said  L 

It  was  a  pleasant  afternoon's  ride  from 
Pontevedra  to  Vigo,  the  distance  being  only 
four  leagues.  As  we  approached  the  latter 
town,  the  country  became  exceedingly  moun- 
tainous, though  scarcely  any  thing  could  ex- 
ceed the  beauty  of  the  surrounding  scenery. 
The  sides  of  the  hills  were  for  the  most  part 
clothed  with  luxuriant  forests,  even  to  the 
very  summits,  though  occasionally  a  flinty 
and  naked  peak  would  present  itself,  rising 
to  the  clouds.    As  the  evening  came  on,  the 


t» 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


route  along  which  we  advanced  became  very 
gloomy,  the  hills  and  forests  enwrapping  it 
in  deep  shade.  It  appeared,  however,  to  be 
well  frequented :  numerous  cars  were  creak- 
ing along  it,  and  both  horsemen  and  pedes- 
trians were  continually  passing  us.  The  vil- 
lages were  frequent.  Vines,  supported  on 
parras,  were  growing,  if  possible,  in  still 
greater  abundance  than  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Pontevedra,  Life  and  activity  seemed  to 
pervade  every  thing.  The  hum  of  insects, 
the  cheerful  bark  of  dogs,  the  rude  songs  of 
Galicia,  were  blended  together  in  pleasant, 
symphony.  So  delicious  was  my  ride,  that  1 
almost  regretted  when  we  entered  the  gate  of 
Vigo. 

The  town  occupies  the  lower  part  of  a  lofty 
hill,  which,  as  it  ascends,  becomes  extremely 
steep  and  precipitous,  and  the  top  of  which  is 
crowned  with  a  strong  fort  or  castle.  It  is  a 
small,  compact  place,  surrounded  with  low 
walls;  the  streets  are  narrow,  steep,  and 
winding,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  town  is  a 
small  square. 

There  is  rather  an  extensive  faubourg  ex- 
tending along  the  shore  of  the  bay.  We 
found  an  excellent  posada,  kept  by  a  man  and 
woman  from  the  Basque  provinces,  who  were 
both  civil  and  intelligent.  The  town  seemed 
to  be  crowded,  and  resounded  with  noise  and 
merriment.  The  people  were  making  a 
wretched  attempt  at  an  illumination,  in  con- 
sequence of  some  victory  lately  gained,  or  pre- 
tended to  have  been  gained,  over  the  forces  of 
the  Pretender.  Military  uniforms  were  glanc- 
ing about  in  every  direction.  To  increase  the 
bustle,  a  troop  of  Portuguese  players  had  lately 
arrived  from  Oporto,  and  their  first  representa- 
tion was  to  take  place  this  evening.  "  Is  the 
play  to  be  performed^in  Spanish?"  I  demand- 
ed. "  No,"  was  the  reply ;  "and  on  that  ac- 
count every  person  is  so  eager  to  go ;  which 
would  not  be  the  case  if  it  were  in  a  language 
which  they  could  understand." 

On  the  morning  of  the  next  day  I  was  seat- 
ed at  breakfast  in  a  large  apartment  which 
looked  out  upon  the  Plaza  Mayor,  or  great 
square  of  the  good  town  of  Vigo.  The  sun 
was  shining  very  brilliantly,  and  all  around 
looked  lively  and  gay.  Presently  a  stranger 
entered,  and  bowing  profoundly,  stationed 
himself  at  the  window,  where  he  remained  a 
considerable  time  in  silence.  He  was  a  man 
of  very  remarkable  appearance,  of  about  thirty- 
five.  His  features  were  of  perfect  symmetry, 
and  I  may  almost  say,  of  perfect  beauty. 
His  hair  was  the  darkest  I  had  ever  seen, 
glossy  and  shining ;  his  eyes  large,  black,  and 
melancholy;  but  that  which  most  struck  me 
was  his  complexion.  It  might  be  called 
olive,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  a  livid  olive.  He 
was  dressed  in  the  very  first  style  of  French 
fashion.  Around  his  neck  was  a  massive 
gold  chain,  while  upon  his  fingers  were  large 
rings,  in  one  of  which  was  set  a  magnificent 
ruby.  Who  can  that  man  bel  thought  I; — 
Spaniard  or  Portuguese,  perhaps  a  Creole.  I 
asked  him  an  indifferent  question  in  Spanish, 
to  which  he  forthwith  replied  in  that  lan- 


guage, but  his  accent  convinced  me  that  he 
was  neither  Spaniard  nor  Portuguese. 

"  I  presume  I  am  speaking  to  an  English 
man.  Sir]"  said  he,  in  as  good  English  as 
was  possible  for  one  not  an  Englishman  to 
speak. 

Myself. — You  know  me  to  be  an  English- 
man ;  but  I  should  find  some  difficulty  in 
guessing  to  what  country  you  belong. 

Stranger. — May  I  take  a  seat? 

Myself. — A  singular  question.  Have  you 
not  as  much  right  to  sit  in  the  public  apart- 
ment of  an  inn  as  myself? 

Stranger. — I  am  not  certain  of  that.  The 
people  here  are  not  in  general  very  gratified 
at  seeing  me  seated  by  their  side. 

Myself. — Perhaps  owing  to  your  political 
opinions,  or  to  some  crime  which  it  may  have 
been  your  misfortune  to  commit? 

Stranger, — I  have  no  political  opinions,  and 
I  am  not  aware  that  I  ever  committed  any  par- 
ticular crime, — I  am  hated  for  my  country  and 
my  religion. 

Myself. — Perhaps  I  am  speaking  to  a  Pro- 
testant, like  myself? 

Stranger. — I  am  no  Protestant.  If  I  were, 
they  would  be  cautious  here  of  showing  their 
dislike,  for  I  should  then  have  a  government 
and  a  consul  to  protect  me.  I  am  a  Jew — a 
Barbary  Jew,  a  subject  of  Abderrahman. 

Myself. — If  that  be  the  case,  you  can  scarce- 
ly complain  of  being  looked  upon  with  dis- 
like in  this  country,  since  in  Barbary  the 
Jews  are  slaves. 

Stranger. — In  most  parts,  I  grant  you,  but 
not  where  I  was  born,  which  was  far  up  the 
country,  near  the  deserts.  There  the  Jews 
are  free,  and  are  feared,  and  are  as  valiant 
men  as  the  Moslems  themselves  ;  as  able  to 
tame  the  steed,  or  to  fire  the  gun.  The  Jews 
of  our  tribe  are  not  slaves,  and  I  like  not  to 
be  treated  as  a  slave  either  by  Christian  or 
Moor. 

Myself. — Your  history  must  be  a  curious 
one,  I  would  fain  hear  it. 

Stranger, — My  history  I  shall  tell  to  no 
one.  I  have  travelled  much,  I  have  been  in 
commerce  and  have  thriven.  I  am  at  present 
established  in  Portugal,  but  I  love  not  the 
people  of  Catholic  countries,  and  least  of  all 
these  of  Spain.  I  have  lately  experienced  the 
most  shameful  injustice  in  the  Aduana  of  this 
town,  and  when  I  complained,  they  laughed 
at  me  and  called  me  Jew.  Wherever  he  turns 
the  Jew  is  reviled,  save  in  your  country,  and 
on  that  account  my  blood  always  warms  v.hen 
I  see  an  Englishman.  You  are  a  stranger 
here.  Can  I  do  aught  for  you?  You  may 
command  me. 

Myself. — I  thank  you  heartily,  but  I  am  in 
need  of  no  assistance. 

Stranger. — Have  you  any  bills?  I  will  ac- 
cept them  if  you  have. 

Myself. — I  have  no  need  of  assistance ;  but 
you  may  do  me  a  favour  by  accepting  of  a 
book. 

Stranger, — I  will  receive  it  with  thanks. 
I  know  what  it  is.  What  a  singular  people ! 
The  same  dress,  the  same  look,  the  same 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


125 


book.  Pelham  gave  me  one  in  Egypt.  Fare- 
well !  Your  Jesus  was  a  good  man,  perhaps 
a  prophet;  but  .  .  .  farewell! 

Well  may  the  people  of  Pontevedra  envy 
the  natives  of  Vigo  their  bay,  with  which,  in 
many  respects,  none  other  in  the  world  can 
compare.  On  every  side  it  is  defended  by 
steep  and  sublime  hills,  save  on  the  part  of 
the  west,  where  is  the  outlet  to  the  Atlantic ; 
but  in  the  midst  of  this  outlet,  up  towers  a 
huge  rocky  wall,  or  island,  which  breaks  the 
swell,  and  prevents  the  billows  of  the  west- 
ern sea  from  pouring  through  in  full  violence. 
On  either  side  of  this  island  is  a  passage,  so 
broad  that  navies  might  pass  through  at  all 
times  in  safety.  The  bay  itself  is  oblong, 
Tunning  far  into  the  land,  and  so  capacious, 
that  a  thousand  sail  of  the  line  might  ride  in 
it  uncrowded.  The  waters  are  dark,  still, 
and  deep,  without  quicksands  or  shallows,  so 
that  the  proudest  man-of-war  might  lie  within 
a  stone's  throw  of  the  town  ramparts  without 
any  fear  of  injuring  her  keel. 

Of  many  a  strange  event,  and  of  many  a 
mighty  preparation  has  this  bay  been  the 
scene.  It  was  here  that  the  bulky  dragons 
of  the  grand  armada  were  mustered,  and  it 
was  from  hence  that,  fraught  with  the  pomp, 
power,  and  terror  of  Old  Spain,  the  monster 
fleet,  spreading  its  enormous  sails  to  the  wind, 
and  bent  on  the  ruin  of  the  Lutheran  isle, 
proudly  steered  ; — that  fleet,  to  build  and  man 
which  half  the  forests  of  Galicia  had  been 
felled,  and  all  the  mariners  impressed  from 
the  thousand  bays  and  creeks  of  the  stern 
Cantabrian  shore.  It  was  here  that  the  uni- 
ted flags  of  Holland  and  England  triumphed 
over  the  pride  of  Spain  and  France ;  when 
the  burning  timbers  of  exploded  war-ships 
soared  above  the  tops  of  the  Gallegan  hills, 
and  blazing  galleons  sank  with  their  treasure- 
chests  whilst  drifting  in  the  direction  of  Sam- 
payo.  It  was  on  the  shores  of  this  bay  that 
the  English  guards  first  emptied  Spanish 
bodegas,  whilst  the  bombs  of  Cobham  were 
crushing  the  roofs  of  the  castle  of  Castro,  and 
the  vecinos  of  Pontevedra  buried  their  dou- 
bloons in  cellars,  and  flying  posts  were  con- 
veying to  Lugo  and  Orensee  the  news  of  the 
heretic  invasion  and  the  disaster  of  Vigo. 
All  these  events  occurred  to  my  mind  as  I 
stood  far  up  the  hill,  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  fort,  surveying  the  bay. 

"What  are  you  doing  there,  Cavalier?" 
yoared  several  voices.    "  Stay,  Carracho !  if 


you  attenspt  to  run  we  will  shoot  you !"  I 
looked  around  and  saw  three  or  four  fellows 
in  dirty  uniforms,  to  all  appearance  soldiers, 
just  above  me,  on  a  winding  path  which  led 
up  the  hill.  Their  muskets  were  pointed  at 
me.  "  W' hat  am  I  doing  1  Nothing,  as  you 
see,"  said  I,  "  save  looking  at  the  bay ;  and 
as  for  running,  this  is  by  no  means  ground  for 
a  course."  "  You  are  our  prisoner,"  said  they, 
"  and  you  must  come  with  us  to  the  fort."  "  I 
was  just  thinking  of  going  there,"  I  replied, 
"  before  you  thus  kindly  invited  me.  The 
fort  is  the  very  spot  I  was  desirous  of  seeing." 
I  thereupon  climbed  up  to  the  place  where 
they  stood,  when  they  instantly  surrounded 
me,  and  with  this  escort  I  was  marched  into 
the  fort,  which  might  have  been  a  strong  place 
in  its  time,  but  was  now  rather  ruinous. 
"  You  are  suspected  of  being  a  spy,"  said  the 
corporal,  who  walked  in  front.  "  Indeed," 
said  I.  "  Yes,"  replied  the  corporal,  "  and 
several  spies  have  lately  been  taken  and  shot." 

Upon  one  of  the  parapets  of  the  fort  stood  a 
young  man,  dressed  as  a  subaltern  officer,  and 
to  this  personage  I  was  introduced.  "We 
have  been  watching  you  this  half  hour,"  said 
he,  "  as  you  were  taking  observations." 
"  Then  you  gave  yourselves  much  useless 
trouble,"  said  I.  "  I  am  an  Englishman,  and' 
was  merely  looking  at  the  bay.  Have  the 
kindness  now  to  show  me  the  fort."  .... 

After  some  conversation,  he  said,  "  I  wish 
to  be  civil  to  people  of  your  nation,  you  may 
therefore  consider  yourself  at  liberty."  I 
bowed,  made  my  exit,  and  proceeded  down 
the  hill.  Just  before  I  entered  the  town,  how- 
ever, the  corporal,  who  had  followed  me  un- 
perceived,  tapped  me.  on  the  shoulder.  "  You 
must  go  with  me  to  the  governor,"  said  he. 
"  With  all  my  heart,"  I  replied.  The  governor 
was  shaving  when  we  were  shown  up  to  him. 
He  was  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  and  held  a  razor  in 
his  hand.  He  looked  very  ill-natured,  which 
was  perhaps  owing  to  his  being  thus  inter- 
rupted in  his  toilet.  He  asked  me  two  or  three 
questions,  and  on  learning  that  I  had  a  pass- 
port, and  was  the  bearer  of  a  letter  to  the  Eng- 
lish consul,  he  told  me  that  I  was  at  liberty 
to  depart.  So  I  bowed  to  the  governor  of  the 
town,  as  I  had  done  to  the  governor  of  the 
fort,  and  making  my  exit  proceeded  to  my  inn. 

At  Vigo  I  accomplished  but  little  in  the  way 
of  distribution,  and  after  a  sojourn  of  a  few 
days,  I  returned  in  the  direction  of  Saint 
James. 


126 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Arrival  at  Padron — Projected  Enterprise — The  Alquilador — Breach  of  Promise — An  odd  Compa- 
nion— A  plain  Story — Plugged  Paths — The  Desertion — The  Pony — A  Dialogue — Unpleasant 
Situation — The  Estadea — Benighted — The  Hut — 1  he  Traveller's  Pillow. 


I  ARRIVED  at  Padron  late  in  the  evening,  on 
my  return  from  Pontevedra  and  Vigo.  It  was 
my  intention  at  this  place  to  send  my  servant 
and  horses  forward  to  Santiago,  and  to  hire  a 
guide  to  Cape  Finisterra.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  assign  any  plausible  reason  for  the  ardent 
desire  which  I  entertained  to  visit  this  place ; 
but  I  remembered  that  last  year  I  had  escaped 
almost  by  a  miracle  from  shipwreck  and  death 
on  the  rocky  sides  of  this  extreme  point  of  the 
Old  World,  and  I  thought  that  to  convey  the 
Gospel  to  a  place  so  wild  and  remote,  might 
perhaps  be  considered  an  acceptable  pilgrim- 
age in  the  eyes  of  my  Maker.  True  it  is  that 
but  one  copy  remained  of  those  which  I  had 
brought  with  me  on  this  last  journey;  but  this 
reflection,  far  from  discouraging  me  in  my  pro- 
jected enterprise,  produced  the  contrary  ef- 
fect, as  I  called  to  mind  that  ever  since  the 
Lord  revealed  himself  to  man  it  has  seemed 
good  to  him  to  accomplish  the  greatest  ends 
by  apparently  the  most  insufficient  means ;  and 
I  reflected  that  this  one  copy  might  serve  as 
an  instrument  for  more  good  than  the  four 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  copies 
of  the  edition  of  Madrid. 

I  was  aware  that  my  own  horses  were  quite 
incompetent  to  reach  Finisterra,  as  the  roads 
or  paths  lie  through  stony  ravines,  and  over 
rough  and  shaggy  hills,'  and  therefore  deter- 
mined to  leave  them  behind  with  Antonio, 
whom  I  was  unwilling  to  expose  to  the  fatigues 
of  such  a  journey.  I  lostno  time  in  sending  for 
an  alquilador,  or  person  who  lets  out  horses, 
and  informing  him  of  my  intention.  He  said  he 
had  an  excellent  mountain  pony  at  ray  disposal, 
and  that  he  himself  would  accompany  me,  but 
at  the  same  time  observed,  that  it  was  a  ter- 
rible journey  for  man  and  horse,  and  that  he 
expected  to  be  paid  accordingly.  I  consented 
to  give  him  what  he  demanded,  but  on  the  ex- 
press condition  that  he  would  perform  his  pro- 
mise of  attending  me  himself,  as  I  was  un- 
■willing  to  trust  myself  four  or  five  days 
amongst  the  hills  with  any  low  fellow  of 
the  town  whom  he  might  select,  and  who  it 
■was  very  possible  might  play  me  some  evil 
turn.  He  replied  by  the  term  invariably  used 
by  the  Spaniards  when  they  see  doubt  or  dis- 
trust exhibited,  "Ao  iengo  usted  cuidado,''^ 
I  will  go  myself.  Having  thus  arranged  the 
matter  perfectly  satisfactorily,  as  I  thought,  I 
partook  of  a  slight  supper,  and  shortly  after- 
wards retired  to  repose. 

I  had  requested  the  alquilador  to  call  me  the 
next  morning  at  three  o'clock  ;  he  however  did 
not  make  his  appearance  till  five,  having,  I 
suppose,  overslept  himself,  which  was  indeed 
my  own  case.  I  arose  in  a  hurry,  dressed, 
put  a  few  things  in  a  bag,  not  forgetting  the 


Testament  which  I  had  resolved  to  present  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Finisterra.  I  then  sallied 
forth  and  saw  my  friend  the  alquilador,  who 
was  holding  by  the  bridle  the  pony  or  jaca 
which  was  destined  to  carry  me  in  my  expe- 
dition. It  was  a  beautiful  little  animal,  ap- 
parently strong  and  full  of  life,  without  one 
single  white  hair  in  its  whole  body,  which 
was  black  as  the  plumage  of  the  crow. 

Behind  it  stood  a  strange-looking  figure  of 
the  biped  species,  to  whom,  however,  at  the 
moment,  I  paid  little  attention,  but  of  whom  I 
shall  have  plenty  to  say  in  the  sequel. 

Having  asked  the  horse-lender  whether  he 
was  ready  to  proceed,  and  being  answered  in 
the  affirmative,  I  bade  adieu  to  Antonio,  and 
putting  the  pony  in  motion,  we  hastened  out 
of  the  town,  taking  at  first  the  road  which 
leads  towards  Santiago.  Observing  that  the 
figure  which  I  have  previously  alluded  to 
was  following  close  at  our  heels,  I  asked  the 
alquilador  who  it  was,  and  the  reason  of  its 
following  us ;  to  which  he  replied,  that  it  was 
a  servant  of  his,  who  would  proceed  a  little 
way  with  us  and  then  return.  So  on  we  went 
at  a  rapid  rate,  till  we  were  within  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  of  the  Convent  of  the  Esclavitud,  a 
little  beyond  which,  he  had  informed  me, 
that  we  should  have  to  turn  ofi"  from  the  high 
road ;  but  here  he  suddenly  stopped  short, 
and  in  a  moment  we  were  all  at  a  standstill. 
I  questioned  the  guide  as  to  the  reason  of 
this,  but  I  received  no  answer.  The  fellow's 
eyes  were  directed  to  the  ground,  and  he 
seemed  to  be  counting  with  the  most  intense 
solicitude  the  prints  of  the  hoofs  of  the  oxen, 
mules,  and  horses  in  the  dust  of  the  road.  I 
repeated  my  demand  in  a  louder  voice ;  when, 
after  a  considerable  pause,  he  somewhat  ele- 
vated his  eyes,  without  however  looking  me 
in  the  face,  and  said  that  he  believed  that  I 
entertained  the  idea  that  he  himself  was  to 
guide  me  to  Finisterra,  which,  if  I  did,  he 
was  very  sorry  for  it,  the  thing  being  quite  im- 
possible, as  he  was  perfectly  ignorant  of  the 
way,  and,  moreover,  incapable  of  performing 
such  a  journey  over  rough  and  difficult  ground, 
as  he  was  no  longer  the  man  he  had  been,  and 
over  and  above  all  that,  he  was  engaged  that 
day  to  accompany  a  gentleman  to  Pontevedra, 
who  was  at  that  moment  expecting  him. 
"But,"  continued  he,  "as  I  am  always  de- 
sirous of  behaving  like  a  caballero  to  every 
bod5\  I  have  taken  measures  to  prevent  your 
being  disappointed.  This  person,"  pointing 
to  the  figure,  "  I  have  engaged  to  accompany 
you.  He  is  a  most  trustworthy  person,  and  is 
well  acquainted  with  the  route  to  Finisterra, 
having  been  thither  several  times  with  this 
very  jaca  on  which  you  are  mounted.     He 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


127 


will,  besides,  be  an  agreeable  companion  to 
you  on  the  way,  as  he  speaks  French  and 
English  very  well,  and  has  been  all  over  the 
world."  The  fellow  ceased  speaking  at  last ; 
and  I  was  so  struck  with  his  craft,  impudence, 
and  viJlany,  that  some  time  elapsed  before  I 
could  find  an  answer.  I  then  reproached  him 
in  the  bitterest  terms  for  his  breach  of  pro- 
mise, and  said  that  I  was  much  tempted  to 
return  to  the  town  instantly,  complain  of  him 
to  the  alcalde,  and  have  him  punished  at  any 
expense.  To  which  he  replied,  "  J^ir  cava- 
lier, by  so  doing  you  will  be  nothing  nearer 
Finisterra,  to  which  you  seem  so  eager  to  get. 
Take  my  advice,  spur  on  the  jaca,  for  you  see 
it  is  getting  late,  and  it  is  twelve  long  leagues 
from  hence  to  Corcuvion,  where  you  must 
pass  the  night;  and  from  thence  to  Finisterra 
IS  no  trifle.  As  for  the  man,  no  tenga  usted 
cuidado,  he  is  the  best  guide  in  all  Galicia, 
speaks  English  and  French,  and  will  bear 
you  pleasant  company." 

By  this  time  I  had  reflected  that  by  return- 
ing to  Padron  I  should  indeed  be  only  wast- 
ing time,  and  that  by  endeavouring  to  have 
the  fellow  punished,  no  benefit  would  accrue 
to  me;  moreover,  as  he  seemed  to  be  a 
scoundrel  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  I  might 
as  well  proceed  in  the  company  of  any  person 
as  in  his.  I  therefore  signified  my  intention 
of  proceeding,  and  told  him  to  go  back  in  the 
Lord's  name,  and  repent  of  his  sins.  But 
having  gained  one  point,  he  thought  he  had 
best  attempt  another;  so  placing  himself 
about  a  yard  before  the  jaca,  he  said  that  the 
price  which  I  had  agreed  to  pay  him  for  the 
loan  of  his  horse  (which  by-the-by  was  the 
full  sum  he  had  demanded)  was  by  no  means 
suflUcient,  and  that  before  I  proceeded  I  must 
promise  him  two  dollars  more,  adding  that 
he  was  either  drunk  or  mad  when  he  had 
made  such  a  bargain.  I  was  now  thoroughly 
incensed,  and,  without  a  moment's  reflection, 
spurred  the  jaca  which  flung  him  down  in  the 
dust,  and  passed  over  him.  Looking  back  at 
the  distance  of  a  hundred  yards,  I  saw  him 
standing  in  the  same  place,  his  hat  on  the 
ground,  gazing  after  us,  and  crossing  himself 
most  devoutly.  His  servant,  or  whatever  he 
was,  far  from  offering  any  assistance  to  his 
principal,  no  sooner  saw  the  jaca  in  motion 
than  he  ran  on  by  its  side,  without  word  or 
comment,  farther  than  striking  himself  lustily 
on  the  thigh  with  his  right  palm.  We  soon 
passed  the  Esclavitud,  and  presently  after- 
wards turned  to  the  left  into  a  stony  broken 
path  leading  to  fields  of  maize.  We  passed 
by  several  farm-houses,  and  at  last  arrived  at 
a  dingle,  the  sides  of  which  were  plentifully 
overgrown  with  dwarf  oaks,  and  which 
slanted  down  to  a  small  dark  river  shaded 
with  trees,  which  we  crossed  by  a  rude 
bridge.  By  this  time  I  had  had  sufficient 
time  to  scan  my  odd  companion  from  head  to 
foot.  His  utmost  height,  had  he  made  the 
most  of  himself,  might  perhaps  have  amount- 
ed to  five  feet  one  inch ;  but  he  seemed 
somewhat  inclined  to  stoop.  Nature  had 
gifted  him  with  an  immense  head,  and  placed 


I  it  clean  upon  his  shoulders,  for  amongst  the 
I  items  of  his  composition  it  did  not  appear 
that  a  neck  had  been  included.  Arms  long 
and  brawny  swung  at  his  sides,  and  the 
j  whole  of  his  frame  was  as  strong  built  and 
I  powerful  as  a  wrestler's;  his  body  was  sup- 
',  ported  by  a  pair  of  short  but  very  nimble 
;  legs.  His  face  was  very  long,  and  would 
I  have  borne  some  slight  resemblance  to  a  hu- 
!  man  countenance  had  the  nose  been  more 
;  visible,  for  its  place  seemed  to  have  been 
I  entirely  occupied  by  a  wry  mouth  and  large 
I  staring  eyes.  His  dress  consisted  of  three 
articles :  an  old  and  tattered  hat  of  the  Por- 
tuguese kind,  broad  at  the  crown  and  narrow 
at  the  eaves,  something  which  appeared  to  be 
a  shirt,  and  dirty  canvas  trousers.  Willing 
to  enter  into  conversation  with  him,  and  re- 
membering that  the  alquilador  had  informed 
me  that  he  spoke  languages,  I  asked  him,  in 
English,  if  he  had  always  acted  in  the  capa- 
city of  guide  ■?  Whereupon  he  turned  his 
eyes  with  a  singular  expression  upon  my 
face,  gave  a  loud  laugh,  a  long  leap,  and 
clapped  his  hands  thrice  above  his  head. 
Perceiving  that  he  did  not  understand  me,  I 
repeated  my  demand  in  French,  and  was 
again  answered  by  the  laugh,  leap,  and 
clapping.  At  last  he  said  in  broken  Spanish, 
"  Master  mine,  speak  Spanish  in  God's  name, 
and  I  can  understand  you,  and  still  better  if 
you  speak  Gallegan,  but  I  can  promise  no 
more.  I  heard  what  the  alquilador  told  you, 
but  he  is  the  greatest  embustero  in  the  whole 
land,  and  deceived  you  then  as  he  did  when 
he  promised  to  accompany  you.  I  serve  him 
for  my  sins ;  but  it  was  an  evil  hour  when  I 
left  the  deep  sea  and  turned  guide."  He  thea 
informed  me  that  he  was  a  native  of  Padron, 
and  a  mariner  by  profession,  having  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  the  Spanish 
navy,  in  which  service  he  had  visited  Cuba 
and  many  parts  of  the  Spanish  Americas, 
adding,  "  when  my  master  told  you  that  I 
should  bear  you  pleasant  company  by  the 
way,  it  was  the  only  word  of  truth  that  has 
come  from  his  mouth  for  a  month ;  and  long 
before  you  reach  Finisterra  you  will  have 
rejoiced  that  the  servant,  and  not  the  master, 
went  with  you :  he  is  dull  and  heavy,  but  I 
am  what  you  see,"  He  then  gave  two  or 
three  first-rate  summersets,  again  laughed 
loudly,  and  clapped  his  hands.  "  You  would 
scarcely  think,"  he  continued,  "that  I  drove 
that  little  pony  yesterday  heavily  laden  all 
the  way  from  Coruna.  We  arrived  at 
Padron  at  two  o'clock  this  morning;  but  we 
are  nevertheless  both  willing  and  able  to  un- 
dertake a  fresh  journey.  No  tenga  usted 
cuidado,  as  my  master  said,  no  one  ever  com- 
plains of  that  pony  or  of  me."  In  this  kind 
of  discourse  we  proceeded  a  considerable  way 
through  a  very  picturesque  country,  until  we 
reached  a  beautiful  village  at  the  skirt  of  a 
mountain.  "This  village,"  said  my  guide, 
"is  called  Los  Angeles,  because  its  church 
was  built  long  since  by  the  angels;  they 
placed  a  beam  of  gold  beneath  it,  which  they 
brought  down  from  heaven,  and  which  was 


1S8 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


once  a  rafter  of  God's  own  house.  It  runs 
all  the  way  under  the  ground  from  hence  to 
the  cathedral  of  Compostella." 

Passing  through  the  village,  which  he  like- 
wise informed  me  possessed  haths,  and  was 
much  visited  by  the  people  of  Santiago,  we 
shaped  our  course  to  the  north-west,  and  by 
80  doing  doubled  a  mountain  which  rose  ma- 
jestically over  our  heads,  its  top  crowned  with 
bare  and  broken  rocks,  whilst  on  our  right,  on 
the  other  side  of  a  spacious  valley,  was  a  high 
range,  connected  with  the  mountains  to  the 
northward  of  St.  James.  On  the  summit  of 
this  range  rose  high  embattled  towers,  which 
my  guide  informed  me  were  those  of  Altamira, 
an  ancient  and  ruined  castle,  formerly  the 
principal  residence  in  this  province  of  the 
counts  of  that  name.  Turning  now  due  west, 
we  were  soon  at  the  bottom  of  a  steep  and 
rugged  pass,  which  led  to  more  elevated  re- 
gions. The  ascent  cost  us  nearly  half  an 
hour,  and  the  ditSculties  of  the  ground  were 
such,  that  I  more  than  once  congratulated 
myself  on  having  left  my  own  horses  behind, 
and  being  mounted  on  the  gallant  little  pony, 
which,  accustomed  to  such  paths,  scrambled 
bravely  forward,  and  eventually  brought  us  in 
safety  to  the  top  of  the  ascent. 

Here  we  entered  a  Gallegan  cabin,  or  choza, 
for  the  purpose  of  refreshing  the  animal  and 
ourselves.  The  quadruped  ate  some  maize, 
whilst  we  two  bipeds  regaled  ourselves  on 
some  broa  and  aguardiente,  which  a  woman 
whom  we  found  in  the  hut  placed  before  us. 
I  walked  out  for  a  few  minutes  to  observe  the 
aspect  of  the  country,  and  on  my  return  found 
my  guide  fast  asleep  on  the  bench  where  1 
had  left  him.  He  sat  bolt  upright,  his  back 
supported  against  the  wall,  and  his  legs  pen- 
dulous, within  three  inches  of  the  groqnd, 
being  too  short  to  reach  it.  I  remained  gaz- 
ing upon  him  for  at  least  five  minutes,  whilst 
he  enjoyed  slumbers  seemingly  as  quiet  and 
profound  as  those  of  death  itself.  His  face 
brought  powerfully  to  my  mind  some  of  those 
uncouth  visages  of  saints  and  abbots  which 
are  occasionally  seen  in  the  niches  of  the  walls 
of  ruined  convents.  There  was  not  the  slight- 
est gleam  of  vitality  in  his  countenance,  which 
for  colour  and  rigidity  might  have  been  of 
stone,  and  which  was  as  rude  and  battered  as 
one  of  the  stone  heads  at  Icolmkill,  which 
have  braved  the  winds  of  twelve  hundred 
years.  I  continued  gazing  on  his  face  till  I 
became  almost  alarmed,  concluding  that  life 
might  have  departed  from  its  harassed  and  fa- 
tigued tenement.  On  my  shaking  him  rather 
roughly  by  the  shoulder,  he  slowly  awoke, 
opening  his  eyes  with  a  stare  and  then  closing 
them  again.  For  a  few  moments  he  was  evi- 
dently unconscious  of  where  he  was.  On  my 
shouting  to  him,  however,  and  inquiring  whe- 
ther he  intended  to  sleep  all  day,  instead  of 
conducting  me  to  Finisterra,  he  dropped  upon 
his  legs,  snatched  up  his  hat,  which  lay  on 
the  table,  and  instantly  ran  out  of  the  door, 
exclaiming,  "  Yes,  yes,  I  remember:  follow 
me,  captain,  and  I  will  lead  you  to  Finisterra 
iu  no  time."   I  looked  after  him,  and  perceived 


that  he  was  hurrying  at  a  considerable  pace 
in  the  direction  in  which  we  had  hitherto  been 
proceeding.  "Stop!"  said  I,  "stop!  Will 
you  leave  me  here  with  the  pony  ]  Stop  !  we 
have  not  paid  the  reckoning.  Stop !"  He, 
however,  never  turned  his  head  for  a  moment, 
and  in  less  than  a  minute  was  out  of  sight. 
The  pony,  which  was  tied  to  a  crib  at  one  end 
of  the  cabin,  began  now  to  neigh  terrifically, 
to  plunge,  and  to  erect  its  tail  and  mane  in  a 
most  singular  manner.  It  tore  and  strained 
at  the  halter  till  I  was  apprehensive  that 
strangulation  would  ensue.  "  Woman,"  I 
exclaimed,  "  where  are  you,  and  what  is  the 
meaning  of  all  thisl"  But  the  hostess  had 
likewise  disappeared,  and  though  I  ran  about 
the  choza,  shouting  myself  hoarse,  no  answer 
was  returned.  The  pony  still  continued  to 
scream  and  to  strain  at  the  halter  more  vio- 
lently than  ever.  "  Am  I  beset  with  lunatics  T" 
I  cried,  and,  flinging  down  a  peseta  on  the 
table,  unloosed  the  halter,  and  attempted  to 
introduce  the  bit  into  the  mouth  of  the  animal. 
This,  however,  I  found  impossible  to  effect. 
Released  from  the  halter,  the  pony  made  at 
once  for  the  door,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts 
which  I  could  make  to  detain  it,  "  If  you 
abandon  me,"  said  I,  "  I  am  in  a  pretty  situa- 
tion ;  but  there  is  a  remedy  for  every  thing !" 
with  which  words  I  sprang  into  the  saddle, 
and  in  a  moment  more  the  creature  was  bear- 
ing me  at  a  rapid  gallop  in  the  direction,  as  I 
supposed,  of  Finisterra.  My  position,  how- 
ever diverting  to  the  reader,  was  rather  critical 
to  myself.  I  was  on  the  back  of  a  spirited 
animal,  over  which  I  had  no  control,  dashing 
along  a  dangerous  and  unknown  path.  1 
could  not  discover  the  slightest  vestige  of  my 
guide,  nor  did  I  pass  any  one  from  whom  I 
could  derive  any  information.  Indeed,  the 
speed  of  the  animal  was  so  great,  that  even 
in  the  event  of  my  meeting  or  overtaking  a 
passenger,  I  could  scarcely  have  hoped  to 
have  exchanged  a  word  with  him.  "  Is  the 
pony  trained  to  this  work  ]"  said  I  mentally. 
"  Is  he  carrying  me  to  some  den  of  banditti, 
M'here  my  throat  will  be  cut,  or  does  he  follow 
his  master  by  instinct]"  Both  of  these  sus- 
picions I  however  soon  abandoned ;  the  pony's 
speed  relaxed,  he  appeared  to  have  lost  the 
road.  He  looked  about  uneasily  :  st  last, 
coming  to  a  sandy  spot,  he  put  his  nostrils  to 
the  ground,  and  then  suddenly  flung  himself 
down,  and  wallowed  in  true  pony  fashion.  I 
was  not  hurt,  and  instantly  made  use  of  this  op- 
portunity to  slip  the  bit  into  bis  mouth,  which 
previously  had  been  dangling  beneath  his 
neck  ;  I  then  remounted  in  quest  of  the  road. 
This  I  soon  found,  and  continued  my  way 
for  a  considerable  time.  The  path  lay  over  a 
moor,  patched  with  heath  and  furze,  and  here 
and  there  strewn  with  large  stones,  or  rather 
rocks.  The  sun  had  risen  high  in  the  firma- 
ment, and  burned  fiercely.  I  passed  several 
people,  men  and  women,  who  gazed  at  me 
with  surprise,  w  ondering,  probably,  what  a 
person  of  my  appearance  could  be  about  with- 
out a  guide  in  so  strange  a  place.  I  inquired 
of  two  females  whom  I  met  whether  they  had 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


129 


seen  my  guide;  but  they  either  did  not  or 
would  not  understand  nie,  and  exchanging  a 
few  words  with  each  otiier,  in  one  of  the  hun- 
dred dialects  of  the  Gallegan,  passed  on.  \ 
Having  crossed  the  moor,  I  came  rather  ab-  [ 
ruptly  upon  a  convent,  overhanging  a  deep 
ravine,  at  the  bottom  of  which  brawled  a  rapid 
stream. 

It  was  a  beautiful  and  picturesque  spot : 
the  sides  of  the  ravine  were  thickly  clothed 
with  wood,  and  on  the  other  side  a  tall,  black 
hill  uplifted  itself.  The  edifice  was  large, 
and  apparently  deserted.  Passing  by  it,  I 
presently  reached  a  small  village,  as  deserted, 
to  all  appearance,  as  the  convent,  for  I  saw 
not  a  single  individual,  nor  so  much  as  a  dog 
to  welcome  me  with  his  bark.  I  proceeded, 
however,  until  I  reached  a  fountain,  the  wa- 
ters of  which  gushed  from  a  stone  pillar  into 
a  trough.  Seated  upon  this  last,  his  arms 
folded,  and  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  neighbour- 
ing mountain,  I  beheld  a  figure  which  still 
frequently  recurs  to  my  thoughts,  especially 
when  asleep  and  oppressed  by  the  nightmare. 
This  figure  was  my  runaway  guide. 

Myself. — Good-day  to  you,  my  gentleman. 
The  weather  is  hot,  and  yonder  water  appears 
delicious.  I  am  almost  tempted  to  dis- 
mount and  regale  myself  with  a  slight 
draught. 

Guide. — Your  worship  can  do  no  better. 
The  day  is,  as  you  say,  hot;  you  can  do  no 
better  than  drink  a  little  of  this  water.  I  have 
myself  just  drunk.  I  would  not,  however, 
advise  you  to  give  that  pony  any,  it  appears 
heated  and  blown. 

Mifaelf. — It  may  well  be  so.  I  have  been 
galloping  at  least  two  leagues  in  pursuit  of 
a  fellow  who  engaged  to  guide  me  to  Finis- 
terra,  but  who  deserted  me  in  a  most  singular 
manner,  so  much  so,  that  I  almost  believe 
him  to  be  a  thief,  and  no  true  man.  You  do 
not  happen  to  have  seen  him  1 

Guide What  kind  of  a  man  might  he  be  ? 

Myself. — A  short,  thick  fellow,  very  much 
like  yourself,  with  a  hump  upon  his  back, 
and,  excuse  me,  of  a  very  ill-favoured  coun- 
tenance. 

Guide. — Ha,  ha!  I  know  him.  He  ran 
with  me  to  this  fountain,  where  he  has  just 
left  me.  That  man.  Sir  Cavalier,  is  no  thief. 
If  he  is  any  thing  at  all,  he  is  a  Nuveiro, — a 
fellow  who  rides  upon  the  clouds,  and  is  oc- 
casionally whisked  away  by  a  gust  of  wind. 
Should  you  ever  travel  with  that  man  again, 
never  allow  him  more  than  one  glass  of  anise 
at  a  time,  or  he  will  infallibly  mount  into  the 
clouds  and  leave  you,  and  then  he  will  ride 
and  run  till  he  comes  to  a  water  brook,  or 
knocks  his  head  against  a  fountain — then  one 
draught,  and  he  is  himself  again.  So  you 
are  going  to  Finisterra,  Sir  Cavalier.  Now, 
it  is  singular  enough,  that  a  cavalier  much  of 
your  appearance  engaged  me  to  conduct  him 
there  this  morning,  1  however  lost  him  on  the 
way.  So  it  appears  to  me  our  best  plan  is  to 
travel  together  until  you  find  your  own  guide 
and  I  find  my  own  master. 

It  might  be  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
^  17 


noon,  that  we  reached  a  long  and  ruinous 
bridge,  seemingly  of  great  antiquity,  and 
which,  as  I  was  informed  by  my  guide,  was 
called  the  bridge  of  Don  Alonzo.  It  crossed 
a  species  of  creek,  or  rather  frith,  for  the  sea 
was  at  no  considerable  distance,  and  the  small 
town  of  Noyo  lay  at  our  right.  "  When  we 
have  crossed  that  bridge,  captain,"  said  my 
guide,  "  we  shall  be  in  an  unknown  country, 
for  I  have  never  been  farther  than  Noyo,  and 
as  for  Finisterra,  so  far  from  having  been 
there,  I  never  heard  of  such  a  place ;  and 
though  I  have  inquired  of  two  or  three  people 
since  we  have  been  upon  this  expedition,  they 
know  as  little  about  it  as  I  do.  Taking  all 
things,  however,  into  consideration,  it  appears 
to  me,  that  the  best  thing  we  can  do  is  to 
push  forward  to  Corcuvion,  which  is  five  mad 
leagues  from  hence,  and  which  we  may  per- 
haps reach  ere  nightfall,  if  we  can  find  the 
way  or  get  any  one  to  direct  us ;  for  as  I  told 
you  before,  I  know  nothing  about  it."  "  To 
fine  hands  have  I  confided  myself,"  said  I ; 
"  however,  we  had  best,  as  you  say,  push  for- 
ward to  Corcuvion,  where,  peradventure,  we 
may  hear  something  of  Finisterra,  and  find  a 
guide  to  conduct  us."  Whereupon,  with  a 
hop,  skip,  and  a  jump,  he  again  set  forward 
at  a  rapid  pace,  stopping  occasionally  at  a 
choza,  for  the  purpose,  I  suppose,  of  making 
inquiries,  though  I  understood  scarcely  any 
thing  of  the  jargon  in  which  he  addressed  the 
people,  and  in  which  they  answered  him. 

We  were  soon  in  an  extremely  wild  and 
hilly  country,  scrambling  up  and  down  ra- 
vines, wading  brooks,  and  scratching  our 
hands  and  faces  with  brambles,  on  which 
grew  a  plentiful  crop  of  wild  mulberries,  to 
gather  some  of  which  we  occasionally  made 
a  stop.  Owing  to  the  roughness  of  the  way 
we  made  no  great  progress.  The  pony  fol- 
lowed close  at  the  back  of  the  guide,  so  near, 
indeed,  that  its  nose  almost  touched  his  shoul- 
der. The  country  grew  wilder  and  wilder, 
and  since  we  had  passed  a  water-mill,  we  had 
lost  all  trace  of  human  habitation.  The  mill 
stood  at  the  bottom  of  a  valley  shaded  by 
large  trees,  and  its  wheels  were  turning  with 
a  dismal  and  monotonous  noise.  "  Do  you 
think  we  shall  reach  Corcuvion  to-night]" 
said  I  to  the  guide,  as  we  emerged  from  this 
valley  to  a  savage  moor,  which  appeared  of 
almost  boundless  extent. 

Guide. — I  do  not,  I  do  not.  We  shall  in 
no  manner  reach  Corcuvion  to-night,  and  I  by 
no  means  like  the  appearance  of  this  moor. 
The  sun  is  rapidly  sinking,  and  then,  if  there 
come  on  a  haze,  we  shall  meet  the  Estadea. 

Myself. — What  do  you  mean  by  the  Esta- 
dea] 

Guide What  do  I  mean  by  the  Estadea ! 

My  master  asks  me  what  I  mean  by  the  Esta- 
dinha.*  I  have  met  the  Estadinha  but  once, 
and  it  was  upon  a  moor  something  like  this.  I 
was  in  company  with  several  women,  and  a 
thick  haze  came  on,  and  suddenly  a  thousand 

*  Inha,  when  affixed  to  words,  serves  as  a  dimi- 
nutive.   It  is  much  in  use  amongst  the  Gallegans. 


130 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


lights  shone  above  our  heads  in  the  haze,  and 
there  was  a  wild  cr)%  and  the  women  fell  to  the 
ground  screaming  Estadea  !  Estadea  !  and  I 
myself  fell  to  the  ground  crying  out  Esta- 
dinha  ]  The  Estadea  are  the  spirits  of  the 
dead  which  ride  upon  the  haze,  bearing  can- 
dles in  their  hands.  I  tell  j-ou  frankly,  my 
master,  that  if  we  meet  the  assembly  of  the 
souls,  I  shall  leave  you  at  once,  and  then  I 
shall  run  and  run  till  I  drown  myself  in  the 
sea  somewhere  about  INIuros.  We  shall  not 
reach  Corcuvion  this  night;  my  only  hope  is 
that  we  may  find  some  choza  upon  these 
moors,  where  we  may  hide  our  heads  from 
the  Estadinha." 

The  night  overtook  us  ere  we  had  traversed 
the  moor;  there  was,  however,  no  haze,  to 
the  great  joy  of  my  guide,  and  a  corner  of  the 
moon  partially  illumined  our  steps.  Our  situa- 
tion, however,  was  dreary  enough:  we  were 
upon  the  wildest  heath  of  the  wildest  province 
of  Spain,  ignorant  of  our  way,  and  directing 
our  course  we  scarcely  knew  whither,  for  my 
guide  repeatedly  declared  to  me,  that  he  did 
not  believe  that  such  a  place  as  Finisterra  ex- 
isted, or  if  it  did  exist,  it  was  some  bleak 
mountain  pointed  out  in  a  map.  When  I  re- 
flected on  the  character  of  this  guide  I  de- 
rived but  little  comfort  or  encouragement:  he 
■was  at  best  evidently  half-witted,  and  was  by 
his  own  confession  occasionally  seized  with 
paroxysms  which  differed  from  madness  in  no 
essential  respect;  his  wild  escapade  in  the 
morning  of  nearly  three  leagues,  without  any 
apparent  cause,  and  lastly,  his  superstitious 
and  frantic  fears  of  meeting  the  souls  of  the 
dead  upon  this  heath,  in  which  event  he  in- 
tended, as  he  himself  said,  to  desert  me  and 
make  for  the  sea,  operated  rather  powerfully 
upon  my  nerves.  I  likewise  considered  that 
it  was  quite  possible  that  we  might  be  in  the 
route  neither  of  Finisterra  nor  Corcuvion,  and 
1  therefore  determined  to  enter  the  first  cabin 
at  which  we  should  arrive,  in  preference  to 
running  the  risk  of  breaking  our  necks  by 
tumbling  down  some  pit  or  precipice.  No 
cabin,  however,  appeared  in  sight:  the  moor 
seemed  interminable,  and  we  wandered  on 
until  the  moon  disappeared,  and  we  were  left 
in  almost  total  darkness. 

At  length  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  steep 
ascent,  up  which  a  rough  and  broken  pathway 
appeared  to  lead.  "Can  this  be  our  way?" 
said  I  to  the  guide. 

"There  appears  to  be  no  other  for  us,  cap- 
tain," replied  the  man;  "let  us  ascend  it  by 
all  means,  and  when  we  are  at  the  top,  if  the 
sea  be  in  the  neighbourhood  we  shall  see  it." 

I  then  dismounted,  for  to  ride  up  such  a  pass 
in  such  darkness  would  have  been  madness. 

We  clambered  up  in  a  line,  first  the  guide, 
next  the  pony,  with  his  nose  as  usual  on  his 
master's  shoulder,  of  whom  he  seemed  pas- 
sionately fond,  and  I  bringing  up  the  rear, 
■with  my  left  hand  grasping  the  animal's  tail. 
We  had  many  a  stumble,  and  more  than  one 
fall:  once,  indeed,  we  were  all  rolling  down 
the  side  of  the  hill  together.  In  about  twenty 
minutes  we  reached  the  summit,  and  looked 


around  us,  but  no  sea  was  visible:  a  black 
moor,  indistinctly  seen,  seemed  to  spread  oa 
every  side. 

"  We  shall  have  to  take  up  our  quarters 
here  till  morning,"  said  I. 

Suddenly  my  guide  seized  me  by  the  hand  : 
"There  is  lume,  Senhor,"  said  he,  "there  is 
lume."  I  looked  in  the  direction  in  which  he 
pointed,  and,  after  straining  my  eyes  for  some 
time,  imagined  that  I  perceived,  far  below  and 
at  some  distance,  a  iaint  glow.  '"That  is 
lume,"  shouted  the  guide,  '•  and  it  proceeds 
from  the  chimney  of  a  choza." 

On  descending  the  eminence,  we  roamed 
about  for  a  considerable  time,  until  we  at  last 
found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  about  six  or 
eight  black  huts.  "  Knock  at  the  door  of  one 
of  these,"  said  I  to  the  guide,  "and  inquire 
of  the  people  whether  they  can  shelter  us  for 
the  night."  He  did  so,  and  a  man  presently 
made  his  appearance,  bearing  in  his  hand  a 
lighted  firebrand. 

"  Can  you  shelter  a  Cavalheiro  from  the 
night  and  the  Estadea?"  said  my  guide. 

"  From  both,  I  thank  God,"  said  the  man, 
who  was  an  athletic  figure,  without  shoes  and 
stockings,  and  who,  upon  the  whole,  put  me 
much  in  mind  of  a  Monster  peasant  from  the 
bogs.  "  Pray  enter,  gentlemen,  we  can  ac- 
commodate you  both  and  your  cavalgadura 
besides." 

We  entered  the  choza,  which  consisted  of 
three  compartments ;  in  the  first  we  found 
straw,  in  the  second  cattle  and  ponies,  and  in 
the  third  the  family,  consisting  of  the  father 
and  mother  of  the  man  who  admitted  us,  and 
his  wife  and  children. 

"  You  are  a  Catalan,  Sir  Cavalier,  and  are 
going  to  your  countrymen  at  Corcuvion,"  said 
the  man  in  tolerable  Spanish.  "Ah,  you  are 
brave  people,  you  Catalans,  and  fine  estab- 
lishments you  have  on  the  Gallegan  shores; 
pity  that  you  take  all  the  money  out  of  the 
country." 

Now,  under  all  circumstances,  I  had  not  the 
slightest  objection  to  pass  for  a  Catalan;  and 
I  rather  rejoiced  that  these  wild  people  should 
suppose  that  I  had  powerful  friends  and  coun- 
trymen in  the  neighbourhood  who  were,  per- 
haps, expecting  me.  I  therefore  favoured  their 
mistake,  and  began  with  a  harsh  Catalan  ac- 
centto  talk  of  the  fish  of  Galicia,  and  the  high 
duties  on  salt.  The  eye  of  my  guide  was 
upon  me  for  an  instant,  with  a  singular  ex- 
pression, half  serious  half  droll;  he,  however, 
said  nothing,  but  slapped  his  thigh  as  usual, 
and  with  a  spring  nearly  touched  the  roof  of 
the  cabin  with  his  grotesque  head.  Upon 
inquiry,  I  discovered  that  we  were  still  two 
long  leagues  distant  from  Corcuvion,  and  that 
the  road  lay  over  moor  and  hill,  and  was  hard 
to  find.  Our  host  now  demanded  whether  we 
were  hungry,  and  upon  being  answered  in  the 
afiirmative,  produced  about  a  dozen  eggs  and 
some  bacon.  Whilst  our  supper  v.'as  cook- 
ing, a  long  conversation  ensued  between  my 
guide  and  the  family,  but  as  it  was  carried  on 
in  Gallegan,  I  tried  in  vain  to  understand  it. 
I  believe,  however,  that  it  principally  related 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


131 


to  witches  and  witchcraft,  as  the  Estadea  was 
frequently  mentioned.  After  supper  I  demand- 
ed where  I  could  rest :  whereupon  the  host 
pointed  to  a  trap-door  in  the  roof,  say i nor  that 
above  there  was  a  loft  where  I  could  sleep  by 
myself,  and  have  clean  straw.  For  curiosity's 
sake,  I  asked  whether  there  was  such  a  thing 
as  a  bed  in  the  cabin. 

"  No,"  replied  the  man;  "nor  nearer  than 
Corcuvion.  I  never  entered  one  in  my  life, 
nor  any  one  of  my  family  :  we  sleep  around 
the  hearth,  or  among  the  straw  with  the  cat- 
tle." 

I  was  too  old  a  traveller  to  complain,  but 


forthwith  ascended  by  a  ladder  into  a  species 
of  loft,  tolerably  large  and  nearly  empty, 
where  I  placed  my  cloak  beneath  my  head, 
and  lay  down  on  the  boards,  which  I  preferred 
to  the  straw  for  more  reasons  than  one.  1 
heard  the  people  below  talking  in  Gallegan 
for  a  considerable  time,  and  could  see  the 
gleams  of  the  fire  through  the  interstices  of 
the  floor.  The  voices,  however,  gradually 
died  away,  the  fire  sank  low  and  could  no 
longer  be  distinguished.  I  dozed,  started,  dozed 
again,  and  dropped  finally  into  a  profound 
sleep,  from  which  I  was  only  roused  by  the 
crowing  of  the  second  cock. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Autumnal  Morning — The  World's  End — Corcuvion — Duyo — The  Cape — A  Whale — The  Outer  Bay 
— The  Arrest — The  Fisher-Magistrate — Calros  Rey — Hard  of  Belief— Where  is  your  Passport? 
— The  Beach — A  Mighty  Liberal — The  Handmaid — The  Grand  Baintham — Eccentric  Book — 
Hospitality. 


It  was  a  beautiful  autumnal  morning  when 
we  left  the  chozaand  pursued  our  way  to  Cor- 
cuvion. I  satisfied  our  host  by  presenting  him 
with  a  couple  of  pesetas,  and  he  requested  as 
a  favour,  that  if  on  our  return  we  passed  that 
way,  and  were  overtaken  by  the  night,  we 
would  again  take  up  our  abode  beneath  his 
roof.  This  I  promised,  at  the  same  time  de- 
termining to  do  my  best  to  guard  against  the 
contingency  ;  as  sleeping  in  the  loft  of  a  Gal- 
legan hut,  though  preferable  to  passing  the 
night  on  a  moor  or  mountain,  is  any  thing  but 
desirable. 

So  we  again  started  at  a  rapid  pace  along 
rough  bridle-ways  and  foot-paths,  amidst  furze 
and  brushwood.  In  about  an  hour  we  obtain- 
ed a  view  of  the  sea,  and  directed  by  a  lad, 
whom  we  found  on  the  moor  employed  in 
tending  a  few  miserable  sheep,  we  bent  our 
course  to  the  north-west,  and  at  length  reached 
the  brow  of  an  eminence,  where  we  stopped 
for  some  time  to  survey  the  prospect  which 
opened  before  us. 

It  was  not  without  reason  that  the  Latins 
gave  the  name  of  Finisterrae  to  this  district. 
We  had  arrived  exactly  at  such  a  place  as  in 
my  boyhood  I  had  pictured  to  myself  as  the 
termination  of  the  world,  beyond  which  there 
was  a  wild  sea,  or  abyss,  or  chaos.  I  now 
saw  far  before  me  an  immense  ocean,  and  below 
me  a  long  and  irregular  line  of  lofty  and  pre- 
cipitous coast.  Certainly  in  the  whole  world 
there  is  no  bolder  coast  than  the  Gallegan 
shore,  from  the  debouchement  of  the  Minho 
to  Cape  Finisterra.  It  consists  of  a  granite 
wall  of  savage  mountains,  for  the  most  part 
serrated  at  the  top,  and  occasionally  broken, 
where  bays  and  friths  like  those  of  Vigo  and 
Pontevedra  intervene,  running  deep  into  the 
land.  These  bays  and  friths  are  invariably 
of  an  immense  depth,  and  sufficiently  capa- 
cious to  shelter  the  navies  of  the  proudest  ma- 
ritime nations. 

There  is  an  air  of  stern  and  savage  grandeur 


in  every  thing  around,  which  strongly  capti- 
vates the  imagination.  This  savage  coast  is 
the  first  glimpse  of  Spain  which  the  voyager 
from  the  north  catches,  or  he  who  has  ploughed 
his  way  across  the  wide  Atlantic :  and  well  does 
it  seem  to  realize  all  his  visions  of  this  strange 
land.  "Yes,"  he  exclaims,  "this  is  indeed 
Spain — stern,  flinty  Spain — land  emblematic 
of  those  spirits  to  which  she  has  given  birth. 
From  what  land  but  that  before  me  could  have 
proceeded  those  portentous  beings  who  as- 
tounded the  Old  World  and  filled  the  New  with 
horror  and  blood :  Alba,  and  Philip,  Cortez, 
and  Pizarro  :  stern  colossal  spectres,  looming 
through  thegloom  of  bygone  years,  like  yonder 
granite  mountains  through  the  haze,  upon  the 
eye  of  the  mariner.  Yes,  yonder  is  indeed 
Spain;  flinty,  indomitable  Spain;  land  em- 
blematic of  its  sons !" 

As  for  myself,  when  I  viewed  that  wide 
ocean  and  its  savage  shore,  I  cried,  "  Such  is 
the  grave,  and  such  are  its  terrific  sides ;  those 
moors  and  wilds,  over  which  I  have  passed,  are 
the  rough  and  dreary  journey  of  life.  Cheered 
with  hope,  we  struggle  along  through  all  the 
difficulties  of  moor,  bog,  and  mountain,  to  ar- 
rive at — what?  The  grave  and  its  dreary 
sides.  Oh,  may  hope  not  desert  us  in  the  last 
hour:  hope  in  the  Redeemer  and  in  God  !" 

We  descended  from  the  eminence,  and 
again  lost  sight  of  the  sea  amidst  ravines  and 
dingles,  amongst  which  patches  of  pine  were 
occasionally  seen.  Continuing  to  descend, 
we  at  last  came,  not  to  the  sea,  but  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  a  long  narrow  frith,  where  stood  a 
village  or  hamlet ;  whilst  at  a  small  distance, 
on  the  western  side  of  the  frith,  appeared  one 
considerably  larger,  which  was  indeed  almost 
entitled  to  the  appellation  of  town.  This  last 
was  Corcuvion  ;  the  first,  if  I  forget  not,  was 
called  Ria  de  Silla.  We  hastened  on  to  Cor- 
cuvion, where  I  bade  my  guide  make  inquiries 
respecting  Finisterra.  He  entered  the  door 
of  a  wine-house,  from  which  proceeded  much 


139 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


noise  and  vociferation,  and  presently  returned, 
informing  me  that  the  village  of  Finisterra 
■was  distant  about  a  league  and  a  half.  A 
man,  evidently  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  fol- 
lovv'ed  him  to  the  door  :  "  Are  you  bound  for 
Finisterra,  CavalheirosT"  he  shouted. 

"  Yes,  my  friend,"  I  replied,  "  we  are 
going  thither."  | 

"  Then  you  are  going  amongst  a  flock  of  | 
drunkards  {fato  de  borrac/ios),^^  he  answered. 
"Take  care  they  dt>  not  play  you  a  trick."      i 

We  passed  on,  and  striking  across  a  sandy  , 
peninsula  at  the  back  of  the  town,  soon  reach-  j 
ed  the  shore  of  an  immense  bay,  the  north- 
westernmost  end  of  which  was  formed  by  the 
far-famed  cape  of  Finisterra,  which  we  now  [ 
saw  before  us  stretching  far  into  the  sea. 

Along  a  beach  of  dazzling  white  sand,  we 
advanced  towards  the  cape,  the  bourn  of  our 
journey.  The  sun  was  shining  brightly,  and 
every  object  was  illumined  by  his  beams. 
The  sea  lay  before  us  like  a  vast  mirror,  and 
the  waves  which  broke  upon  the  shore  were 
so  tiny  as  scarcely  to  produce  a  murmur.  On 
■we  sped  along  the  deep  winding  bay,  over- 
hung by  gigantic  hills  and  mountains.  Strange 
recollections  began  to  throng  upon  my  mind. 
It  was  upon  this  beach  that,  according  to  the 
tradition  of  all  ancient  Christendom,  Saint 
James,  the  patron  saint  of  Spain,  preached 
the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  Spaniards.  Upon 
this  beach  had  once  stood  an  immense  com- 
mercial city,  the  proudest  in  all  Spain.  This 
now  desolate  bay  had  once  resounded  with 
the  voices  of  myriads,  when  the  keels  and 
commerce  of  all  the  then  known  world  were 
■wafted  to  Duyo. 

"  What  is  the  name  of  this  village  T"  said 
I  to  a  woman,  as  we  passed  by  five  or  six 
ruinous  houses  at  the  bend  of  the  bay,  ere  we 
entered  upon  the  peninsula  of  Finisterra. 

"This  is  no  village,"  said  the  Gallegan, 
•'  this  is  no  village,  Sir  Cavalier,  this  is  a 
city,  this  is  Duyo." 

So  much  for  the  glory  of  the  world !  These 
huts  were  all  that  the  roaring  sea  and  the 
tooth  of  time  had  left  of  Duyo,  the  great  city ! 
Onward  now  to  Finisterra. 

It  was  midday  when  we  reached  the  vil- 
lage of  Finisterra,  consisting  of  about  one 
hundred  houses,  and  built  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  peninsula,  just  before  it  rises  into 
the  huge  bluff  head  which  is  called  the  Cape. 
We  sought  in  vain  for  an  inn  or  venta,  where 
we  might  stable  our  beast;  at  one  moment 
we  thought  that  we  had  found  one,  and  had 
even  tied  the  animal  to  the  manger.  Upon 
our  going  out,  however,  he  was  instantly  un- 
tied and  driven  forth  into  the  street.  The 
few  people  whom  we  saw  appeared  to  gaze 
upon  us  in  a  singular  manner.  We,  how- 
ever, took  little  notice  of  these  circumstances, 
and  proceeded  along  the  straggling  street, 
until  we  found  shelter  in  the  house  of  a  Cas- 
tilian  shopkeeper,  whom  some  chance  had 
brought  to  this  corner  of  Galicia, — this  end 
of  the  world.  Our  first  care  was  to  feed  the 
animal,  who  now  began  to  exhibit  considera- 
ble symptoms  of  fatigue.    We  then  requested 


some  refreshment  for  ourselves;  and  in  about 
an  hour,  a  tolerably  savoury  fish,  weighing 
about  three  pounds,  and  fresh  from  the  bay, 
was  prepared  for  us  by  an  old  woman  who 
appeared  to  officiate  as  housekeeper.  Hav- 
ing finished  our  meal,  I  and  my  uncouth  com- 
panion went  forth  and  prepared  to  ascend  the 
mountain. 

We  stopped  to  examine  a  small  dismantled 
fort  or  battery  facing  the  bay:  and  whilst  en- 
gaged in  this  examination,  it  more  than  once 
occurred  to  me  that  we  were  ourselves  the  ob- 
jects of  scrutiny  and  investigation:  indeed  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  more  than  one  counte- 
nance peering  upon  us  through  the  holes  and 
chasms  of  the  walls.  We  now  commenced 
ascending  Finisterra  ;  and  making  numerous 
and  long  detours,  we  wound  our  way  up  its 
flinty  sides.  The  sun  had  reached  the  top  of 
heaven,  whence  he  showered  upon  us  perpen- 
dicularly his  brightest  and  fiercest  rays.  My 
boots  were  torn,  my  feet  cut,  and  the  perspira- 
tion streamed  from  my  brow.  To  my  guide, 
however,  the  ascent  appeared  to  be  neither 
toilsome  nor  difficult.  The  heat  of  the  day 
for  him  had  no  terrors,  no  moisture  was  wrung 
from  his  taned  countenance  :  he  drew  not  one 
short  breath ;  and  hopped  upon  the  stones 
and  rocks  with  all  the  provoking  agility  of  a 
mountain  goat.  Before  we  had  accomplished 
one  half  of  the  ascent,  I  felt  myself  quite  ex- 
hausted. 1  reeled  and  staggered.  "Cheer 
up,  master  mine,  be  of  good  cheer,  and  have 
no  care,"  said  the  guide.  "  Yonder  I  see  a 
wall  of  stones ;  lie  down  beneath  it  in  the 
shade."  He  put  his  long  and  strong  arm 
round  my  waist,  and  though  his  stature  com- 
pared with  mine  was  that  of  a  dwarf,  he  sup- 
ported me,  as  if  I  had  been  a  child,  to  a  rude 
wall  which  seemed  to  traverse  the  greatest 
part  of  the  hill,  and  served  probably  as  a  kind 
of  boundary.  It  was  difficult  to  find  a  shady 
spot :  at  last  he  perceived  a  small  chasm,  per- 
haps scooped  by  some  shepherd  as  a  couch  in 
which  to  enjoy  his  siesta.  In  this  he  laid  me 
gently  down,  and  taking  off  his  enormous  hat, 
commenced  fanning  me  with  great  assiduity. 
By  degrees  I  revived,  and  after  having  rested 
for  a  considerable  time,  I  again  attempted  the 
ascent,  which,  with  the  assistance  of  my 
guide,  I  at  length  accomplished. 

We  were  now  standing  at  a  great  altitude 
between  two  bays  ;  the  wilderness  of  waters 
before  us.  Of  all  the  ten  thousand  barks 
which  annually  plough  those  seas  in  sight  of 
that  old  cape,  not  one  was  to  be  descried.  It 
was  a  blue  shiny  waste,  broken  by  no  object 
save  the  black  head  of  a  spermaceti  whale, 
which  would  occasionally  show  itself  on  the 
top,  casting  up  thin  jets  of  brine.  The  princi- 
pal bay,  that  of  Finisterra,  as  far  as  the  en- 
trance was  beautifully  variegated  by  an  im- 
mense shoal  of  sardinhas,  on  whose  extreme 
skirts  the  monster  was  probably  feasting. 
From  the  northern  side  of  the  cape  we  looked 
down  upon  a  smaller  bay,  the  shore  of  which 
was  overhung  by  rocks  of  various  and  gro- 
tesque shapes ;  this  is  called  the  outer  bay,  or, 
in  the  language  of  the  country,  Prai  do  ma) 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


133 


defora  ,•  a  fearful  place  in  seasons  of  wind  and 
tempest,  when  the  long  swell  of  the  Atlantic 
pouring  in,  is  broken  into  surf  and  foam  by 
the  sunken  rocks  with  which  it  abounds. 
Even  in  the  calmest  day  there  is  a  rumbling 
and  a  hollow  roar  in  that  bay  which  fill  the 
heart  with  uneasy  sensations. 

On  all  sides  there  was  grandeur  and  sub- 
limity. After  gazing  from  the  summit  of 
the  cape  for  nearly  an  hour,  we  descended. 

On  reaching  the  house  where  we  had  taken 
up  our  temporary  habitation,  we  perceived 
that  the  portal  was  occupied  by  several  men, 
some  ^f  whom  were  reclining  on  the  floor 
drinking  wine  out  of  small  earthen  pans, 
which  are  much  used  in  this  part  of  Galicia. 
Wiih  a  civil  salutation  I  passed  on,  and  as- 
cended the  staircase  to  the  room  in  which  we 
had  taken  our  repast.  Here  there  was  a  rude 
and  dirty  bed,  on  which  I  flung  myself,  ex- 
hausted with  fatigue.  I  determined  to  take 
a  little  repose,  and  in  the  evening  to  call  the 
people  of  the  place  together,  to  read  a  few 
chapters  of  the  Scripture,  and  then  to  address 
them  with  a  little  Christian  exhortation.  I 
■was  soon  asleep,  but  my  slumbers  were  by 
no  means  tranquil.  I  thought  I  was  sur- 
rounded with  difficulties  of  various  kinds 
amongst  rocks  and  ravines,  vainly  endeavour- 
ing to  extricate  myself;  uncouth  visages 
showed  themselves  amidst  the  trees  and  in 
the  hollows,  thrusting  out  cloven  tongues  and 
uttering  angry  cries.  I  looked  around  for  my 
guide,  but  could  not  find  him;  methought, 
however,  that  I  heard  his  voice  down  a  deep 
dingle.  He  appeared  to  be  talking  of  me. 
How  long  I  might  have  continued  in  these 
wild  dreams  I  know  not.  I  was  suddenly, 
however,  seized  roughly  by  the  shoulder  and 
nearly  dragged  from  the  bed.  I  looked  up  in 
amazement,  and  by  the  light  of  the  descending 
sun  I  beheld  hanging  over  me  a  wild  and  un- 
couth figure;  it  was  that  of  an  elderly  man, 
built  as  strong  as  a  giant,  with  much  beard 
and  whisker,  and  huge  bushy  eyebrows, 
dressed  in  the  habiliments  of  a  fisherman:  in 
his  hand  was  a  rusty  musket. 

Myself. — Who  are  you,  and  what  do  you 
want  ? 

Figure. — Who  I  am  matters  but  little.  Get 
up  and  follow  me;  it  is  you  I  want. 

Myself. — By  what  authority  do  you  thus 
presume  to  interfere  with  me  1 

Figure. — By  the  authority  of  the  justicia 
of  Finisterra.  Follow  me  peaceably,  Calros, 
or  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you. 

"  Calros,"  said  I,  "  what  does  the  person 
mean  ]"  I  thought  it,  however,  most  prudent 
to  obey  his  command,  and  followed  him  down 
the  staircase.  The  shop  and  the  portal  were 
now  thronged  with  the  inhabitants  of  Finis- 
terra,  men,  women,  and  children;  the  latter 
for  the  most  part  in  a  state  of  nudity,  and 
with  bodies  wet  and  dripping,  having  been 
probably  summoned  in  haste  from  their  gam- 
bols in  the  brine.  Through  this  crowd  the 
figure  whom  I  have  attempted  to  describe 
pushed  his  way  with  an  air  of  authority. 

On  arriving  in  the  street,  he  laid  his  heavy 


hand  upon  my  arm,  not  roughly  however. 
"  It  is  Calros  I  it  is  Calros  !"  said  a  hundred 
voices;  "he  has  come  to  Finisterra  at  last, 
and  the  justicia  has  now  got  hold  of  him." 
Wondering  what  all  this  could  mean,  I  at- 
tended my  strange  conductor  down  the  street. 
As  we  proceeded,  the  crowd  increased  every 
moment,  following  and  vociferating.  Even 
the  sick  were  brought  to  the  doors  to  obtain  a 
view  of  what  was  going  forward  and  a  glance 
at  the  redoutable  Calros.  I  was  particularly 
struck  by  the  eagerness  displayed  by  one 
man,  a  cripple,  who,  in  spite  of  the  entreaties 
of  his  wife,  mixed  with  the  crowd,  and  hav- 
ing lost  his  crutch  hopped  forward  on  one  leg, 
exclaiming, — '■^Carracho!  tambien  voy  yo!" 

We  at  last  reached  a  house  of  rather  larger 
size  than  the  rest,  my  guide  having  led  me 
into  a  long  low  room,  placed  me  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor,  and  then  hurrying  to  the  door,  he 
endeavoured  to  repulse  the  crowd  who  strove 
to  enter  with  us.  This  he  effected,  though 
not  without  considerable  difficulty,  being  once 
or  twice  compelled  to  have  recourse  to  the  butt 
of  his  musket,  to  drive  back  unauthorized  in- 
truders. I  now  looked  round  the  room.  It 
was  rather  scantily  furnished  :  I  could  see 
nothing  but  some  tubs  and  barrels,  the  mast 
of  a  boat,  and  a  sail  or  two.  Seated  upon  the 
tubs  were  three  or  four  men  coarsely  dressed, 
like  fishermen  or  shipwrights.  The  principal 
personage  was  a  surly  ill-tempered-looking 
fellow  of  about  thirty-five,  whom  eventually 
I  discovered  to  be  the  alcalde  of  Finisterra, 
and  lord  of  the  house  in  which  we  now  were. 
In  a  comer  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  my  guide, 
who  was  evidently  in  durance,  two  stout 
fishermen  standing  before  him,  one  with  a 
musket  and  the  other  with  a  boat-hook.  After 
I  had  looked  about  me  for  a  minute,  the  al- 
calde, giving  his  whiskers  a  twist,  thus  ad- 
dressed me : — 

"  Who  are  you,  where  is  your  passport,  and 
what  brings  you  to  Finisterra  1" 

Myself. — I  am  an  Englishman.  Here  is 
my  passport,  and  I  came  to  see  Finisterra. 

This  reply  seemed  to  discomfit  them  for  a 
moment.  They  looked  at  each  other,  then  at 
my  passport.  At  length  the  alcalde,  striking 
it  with  his  finger,  bellowed  forth : 

"  This  is  no  Spanish  passport ;  it  appears 
to  he  written  in  French." 

Myself. — I  have  already  told  you  that  I  am 
a  foreigner.  I  of  course  carry  a  foreign  pass- 
port. 

Alcalde. — Then  you  mean  to  assert  that  yoa 
are  not  Calros  Rey. 

Mysef. — I  never  heard  before  of  such  a 
king,  nor  indeed  of  such  a  name, 

Alcalde. — Hark  to  the  fellow :  he  has  the 
audacity  to  say  that  he  has  never  heard  of 
Calros  the  pretender,  who  calls  himself 
king. 

Myself. — If  you  mean  by  Calros,  the  pre- 
tender Don  Carlos,  all  I  can  reply  is  that  you 
can  scarcely  be  serious.  You  might  as  well 
assert  that  yonder  poor  fellow,  my  guide, 
whom  I  see  you  have  made  prisoner,  is  his 
nephew,  the  infante,  Don  Sebastian. 
M 


134 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


Alcalde. — See,  you  have  betrayed  yourself; 
that  is  the  very  person  we  suppose  him  to  be. 
Myself. — It  is  true  that  they  are  both  hunch- 
backs. But  how  can  I  be  like  Don  Carlos  ] 
1  have  nothing  of  the  appearance  of  a  Spaniard, 
and  am  nearly  a  foot  taller  than  the  pre- 
tender. 

Alcalde. — That  makes  no  difference;  you 
of  course  carry  many  waistcoats  about  you, 
by  means  of  which  you  disguise  yourself,  and 
appear  tall  or  low  according  to  your  pleasure. 
This  last  was  so  conclusive  an  argument 
that  I  had  of  course  nothing  to  reply  to  it. 
The  alcalde  looked  around  him  in  triumph, 
as  if  he  had  made  some  notable  discovery. 
"Yes,  it  is  Calros;  it  is  Calros,"  said  the 
crowd  at  the  door.  "It  will  be  as  well  to 
have  these  men  shot  instantly,"  continued 
the  alcalde;  "if  they  are  not  the  two  pre- 
tenders, they  are  at  any  rate  two  of  the  fac- 
tious." 

"  I  am  by  no  means  certain  that  they  are 
either  one  or  the  other,"  said  a  gruff  voice. 

The  justicia  of  Finisterra  turned  their  eyes 
in  the  direction  from  which  these  words  pro- 
ceeded, and  so  did  I.  Our  glances  rested 
upon  the  figure  who  held  the  watch  at  the 
door.  He  had  planted  the  barrel  of  his  mus- 
ket on  the  floor,  and  was  now  leaning  his 
chin  against  the  butt. 

"  I  am  by  no  means  certain  that  they  are 
either  one  or  the  other,"  repeated  he,  advanc- 
ing forward.  "I  have  been  examining  this 
man,"  pointing  to  myself,  "and  listening 
•  whilst  he  spoke,  and  it  appears  \o  me  that 
after  all  he  may  prove  an  Englishman;  he 
has  their  very  look  and  voice.  Who  knows 
the  English  better  than  Antonio  de  la  Trava, 
and  who  has  a  better  right?  Has  he  not 
sailed  in  their  ships ;  has  he  not  eaten  their 
biscuit ;  and  did  he  not  stand  by  Nelson  when 
he  was  shot  dead?" 

Here  the  alcalde  became  violently  incensed. 
"  He  is  no  more  an  Englishman  than  your- 
self," he  exclaimed ;  "  if  he  were  an  Eng- 
lishman, would  he  have  come  in  this  manner, 
skulking  across  the  land  ?  Not  so,  I  trow. 
He  would  have  come  in  a  ship,  recommended 
to  some  of  us,  or  to  the  Catalans.  He  would 
have  come  to  trade ;  to  buy ;  but  nobody 
knows  him  in  Finisterra,  nor  does  he  know 
anybody :  and  the  first  thing,  moreover,  that 
he  does  when  he  reaches  this  place  is  to  in- 
spect the  fort,  and  to  ascend  the  mountain, 
where,  no  doubt,  he  has  been  marking  out  a 
camp.  What  brings  him  to  Finisterra,  if  he 
is  neither  Calros  nor  a  bribon  of  a  faccioso  V 
I  felt  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  justice 
in  some  of  these  remarks ;  and  I  was  aware, 
for  the  first  time,  that  I  had,  indeed,  commit- 
ted a  great  imprudence  in  coming  to  this  wild 
place,  and  among  these  barbarous  people, 
without  being  able  to  assign  any  motive 
which  could  appear  at  all  valid  in  their  eyes. 
I  endeavoured  to  convince  the  alcalde  that  I 
had  come  across  the  country  for  the  purpose 
of  making  myself  acquainted  with  the  many 
remarkable  objects  which  it  contained,  and 
of  obtaining  information  respecting  the  cha- 


racter and  condition  of  the  inhabitants.  He 
could  understand  no  such  motives.  "  What 
did  you  ascend  the  mountain  for?"  "To  see 
prospects."  "Disparate!  I  have  lived  at 
Finisterra  forty  years,  and  never  ascended 
that  mountain.  1  would  not  do  it  in  a  day 
like  this  for  two  ounces  of  gold.  You  Avent 
to  take  altitudes,  and  to  mark  out  a  camp." 
I  had,  however,  a  stanch  friend  in  old  Anto- 
nio, who  insisted,  from  his  knoAvledge  of  the 
English,  that  all  I  had  said  might  very  possi- 
bly be  true.  "  The  English,"  said  he,  "  have 
more  money  than  they  know  what  to  do  with, 
and  on  that  account  they  wander  all  over  the 
world,  paying  dearly  for  what  no  other  peo- 
ple care  a  groat  for."  He  then  proceeded, 
notwithstanding  the  frowns  of  the  alcalde,  to 
examine  me  in  the  English  language.  His 
own  entire  knowledge  of  this  tongue  was 
confined  to  two  words — knife  and/o?-/-,  which 
words  I  rendered  into  Spanish  by  their  equi- 
valents, and  was  forthwith  pronounced  an 
Englishman  by  the  old  fellow,  who,  bran- 
dishing his  musket,  exclaimed  : — 

"This  man  is  not  Calros;  he  is  what  he 
declares  himself  to  be,  an  Englishman,  and 
whoever  seeks  to  injure  him,  shall  have  to  do 
with  Antonio  de  la  Travg.  el  valiente  de  Fi 
nisterra."  No  person  sought  to  impugn  this 
verdict,  and  it  was  at  length  determined  that 
I  should  be  sent  to  Corcuvion,  to  be  examined 
by  the  alcalde  mayor  of  the  district.  "  But," 
said  the  alcalde  of  Finisterra,  "  what  is  to  be 
done  with  the  other  fellow  ?  He  at  least  is 
no  Englishman.  Bring  him  forward,  and  let 
us  hear  what  he  has  to  say  for  himself. 
Now,  fellow,  who  are  you,  anAwhat  is  your 
master?" 

Guide. — I  am  Sebastianillo,  a  poor  broken 
mariner  of  Padron,  and  my  master  for  the 
present  is  this  gentleman  whom  you  see,  the 
most  valiant  and  wealthy  of  all  the  English. 
He  has  two  ships  at  Vigo,  laden  with  riches. 
I  told  you  so  when  you  first  seized  me  up 
there  in  our  posada. 

Alcalde. — Where  is  your  passport  ? 
Guide. — I  have  no  passport.  Who  would 
think  of  bringing  a  passport  to  such  a  place 
as  this,  where  I  don't  suppose  there  are  two 
individuals  who  can  read  ?  I  have  no  pass- 
port ;  my  master's  passport  of  course  includes 
me. 

Alcalde. — It  does  not.  And  since  you  have 
no  passport,  and  have  confessed  that  your 
name  is  Sebastian,  you  shall  be  shot.  Anto^ 
nio  de  la  Trava,  do  you  and  the  musketeer 
lead  this  Sebastianillo  forth,  and  shoot  him 
before  the  door. 

Antonio  de  la  Trava. — ^With  much  pleasure, 
Senor  Alcalde,  since  you  order  it.  With  re- 
spect to  this  fellow,  I  shall  not  trouble  my- 
self to  interfere.  He  at  least  is  no  English- 
man. He  has  more  the  look  of  a  wizard  or 
nuveiro ;  one  of  those  devils  who  raise  storms 
and  sink  launches.  Moreover,  he  says  he  is 
from  Padron ;  and  those  of  that  place  are  all 
thieves  and  drunkards.  They  once  played 
me  a  trick,  and  I  would  gladly  be  at  the 
shooting  of  the  whole  pueblo. 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


135 


I  now  interfered,  and  said  that  if"  they  shot '  with  you  if  you  were  one  of  my  own  country- 
ihe  guide  they  must  shoot  me  too ;  expatiatin<r  men.  Here  we  are  at  Duyo,  captain.  Shall 
at  the  same  time  on  the  cruelty  and  barbarity    we  refresh  1 


of  taking  away  the  lite  of  a  poor  unfortunate 
fellow  who,  as  might  be  seen  at  the  first 
glance,  was  only  half-witted;  adding,  more- 
over, tliat  if  any  person  was  guilty  in  this 
case,  it  was  myself,  as  the  other  could  only 
be  considered  in  the  light  of  a  servant  acting 
under  my  orders. 

"  The  safest  plan  after  all,"  said  the  alcalde, 
"  appears  to  be,  to  send  you  both  prisoners  to 
Corcuvion,  where  the  head  alcalde  can  dis- 
pose of  you  as  he  thinks  proper.  You  must, 
however,  pay  for  your  escort;  for  it  is  not  to 
be  supposed  that  the  housekeepers  of  Finis- 
terra  have  nothing  else  to  do  than  to  ramble 
about  the  country  with  every  chance  fellow 
who  finds  his  way  to  this  town."  "As  for 
thai  matter,"  said  Antonio,  "  I  will  take 
charge  of  them  both.  I  am  the  valiente  of 
Finisterra,  and  fear  no  two  men  living. 
Moreover,  I  am  sure  that  the  captain  here 
will  make  it  worth  my  while,  else  he  is  no 
Englishman.  Therefore  let  us  be  quick,  and 
set  out  for  Corcuvion  at  once,  as  it  is  getting 
late.  First  of  all,  however,  captain,  I  must 
search  you  and  your  baggage.  You  have  no 
arms  of  course?  But  it  is  best  to  make  all 
sure." 

Long  ere  it  was  dark  I  found  myself  again 
on  the  pony,  in  company  with  my  guide, 
wending  our  way  along  the  beach  in  the  di- 
rection of  Corcuvion.  Antonio  de  la  Trava 
tramped  heavily  on  before,  his  musket  on  his 
shoulder. 

Mysp.lf. — ffte  you  not  afraid,  Antonio,  to  be 
thus  alone  with  two  prisoners,  one  of  whom 
is  on  horseback?  If  we  were  to  try,  I  think 
we  could  overpower  you. 

Antonio  de  la  Trava. — I  am  the  valiente  de 
Finisterra,  and  I  fear  no  odds. 

Myself. — Why  do  you  call  yourself  the  va- 
liente of  Finisterra  ? 

Jlntonii)  de  la  Trava. — The  whole  district 
call  me  so.  When  the  French  came  to  Finis- 
terra, and  demolished  the  fort,  three  perished 
by  my  hand.  I  stood  on  the  mountain,  up 
where  I  saw  you  scrambling  to-day.  I  con- 
tinued firing  at  the  enemy,  until  three  detach- 
ed themselves  in  pursuit  of  me.  The  fools  ! 
two  perished  amongst  the  rocks  by  the  fire  of 
this  musket,  and  as  for  the  third,  I  beat  his 
head  to  pieces  with  the  stock.  It  is  on  that 
account  that  they  call  me  the  valiente  of  Fi- 
nisterra. 

Myself. — How  came  you  to  serve  with  the 
English  fleet?  I  think  I  heard  you  say  that 
you  were  present  when  Nelson  fell. 

Antonio  de  la  Trava. — I  was  captured  by 
your  countrymen,  captain,  and  as  I  had  been 
a  sailor  from  my  childhood,  they  were  glad 
of  my  services.  I  was  nine  months  with 
them,  and  assisted  at  Trafalgar.     I  saw  the 


We  did  refresh,  or  rather  Antonio  de  la 
Trava  refreshed,  swallowing  pan  after  pan  of 
wine,  with  a  thirst  which  seemed  unquencha- 
ble. "  That  man  was  a  greater  wizard  than  my- 
self," whispered  Sebastian,  my  guide,  "  who 
told  us  that  the  drunkards  of  Finisterra  would 
play  us  a  trick."  At  length  the  old  hero  of 
the  Cape  slowly  rose,  saying,  that  we  must 
hasten  on  to  Corcuvion,  or  the  night  would 
overtake  us  by  the  way. 

"  What  kind  of  person  is  the  alcalde  to 
whom  you  are  conducting  me?"  said  1. 

"Oh,  very  different  from  him  of  Finisterra," 
replied  Antonio.  "  This  is  a  young  Senorito, 
lately  arrived  from  Madrid.  He  is  not  even 
a  Gallegan.  He  is  a  mighty  liberal,  and  it  is 
owing  chiefly  to  his  orders  that  we  have  late- 
ly been  so  much  on  the  alert.  It  is  said  that 
the  Carlists  are  meditating  a  descent  on  these 
parts  of  Galicia.  Let  them  only  come  to  Fi- 
nisterra, we  are  liberals  there  to  a  man,  and 
the  old  valiente  is  ready  to  play  the  same  part 
as  in  the  lime  of  the  French.  But,  as  I  was 
telling  you  before,  the  alcalde  to  whom  I  am 
conducting  you  is  a  young  man,  and  very 
learned,  and  if  he  thinks  proper,  he  can  speak 
English  to  you,  even  better  than  myself,  not- 
withstanding 1  was  a  friend  of  Nelson,  and 
fought  by  his  side  at  Trafalgar." 

It  was  dark  night  before  we  reached  Corcu- 
vion. Antonio  again  stopped  to  refresh  at  a 
wine-shop,  after  which  he  conducted  us  to  the 
house  of  the  alcalde.  His  steps  were  by  this 
time  not  particularly  steady,  and  on  arriving 
at  the  gate  of  the  house,  he  stumbled  over  the 
threshold  and  fell.  He  got  up  with  an  oath, 
and  instantly  commenced  thundering  at  the 
door  with  the  stock  of  his  musket.  "  Who 
is  it  ?"  at  length  demanded  a  soft  female  voice 
in  Galjegan.  "  The  valiente  of  Finisterra," 
replied  Antonio;  whereupon  the  gate  was  un- 
locked, and  we  beheld  before  us  a  very  pretty 
female  with  a  candle  in  her  hand.  "  What 
brings  you  here  so  late,  Antonio  ?"  she  in- 
quired. "I  bring  two  prisoners,  mi  pulida," 
replied  Antonio.  "  Ave  Maria  !"  she  exclaim- 
ed. "I  hope  they  will  do  no  harm."  " I  will 
answer  for  one,"  replied  the  old  man ;  "  but 
as  for  the  other,  he  is  a  nuveiro,and  has  sunk 
more  ships  than  all  his  brethren  in  Galicia. 
But  be  not  afraid,  my  beauty,"  he  continued, 
as  the  female  made  the  sign  of  the  cross; 
"first  lock  the  gate,  and  then  show  me  the 
way  to  the  alcalde.  I  have  much  to  tell  him." 
The  gate  was  locked,  and  bidding  us  stay  be- 
low in  the  courtyard,  Antonio  followed  the 
young  woman  up  a  stone  stair,  whilst  we  re- 
mained in  darkness  below. 

After  the  lapse  of  about  a  quarter  of  an 

hour,  we  again  saw  the  candle  gleam  upon 

the  staircase,  and  the  young  female  appeared. 

English  admiral  die.     You  have  something  j  Coming  up  to  me,  she  advanced  the  candle  to 


of  his  face,  and  your  voice,  when  you  spoke, 
sounded  in  my  ears  like  his  own.  I  love  the 
English,  and  on  that  account  I  saved  you. 
^Think  not  that  I  would  toil  alonv  these  sands 


my  features,  on  which  she  gazed  very  intently. 
After  a  long  scrutiny  she  went  to  my  guide; 
and  having  surveyed  him  still  more  fixedly, 
she  turned  to  me,  and  said,  in  her  best  Spa- 


I^ 


THE   BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


nish, «'  Senhor  Cavalier,  I  congratulate  you  on 
your  servant.  He  is  the  best-looking  mozo 
in  all  Galicia.  Vaya!  if  he  had  but  a  coat  to 
his  back,  and  did  not  go  barefoot,  I  would 
accept  him  at  once  as  a  novio ;  but  I  have  un- 
fortunately made  a  vow  never  to  marry  a  poor 
man,  but  only  one  who  has  got  a  heavy  purse 
and  can  buy  me  fine  clothes.  So  you  are  a 
Carlist,  I  suppose'?  Vaya!  I  do  not  like  you 
the  worse  for  that.  But,  being  so,  how  went 
you  to  Finisterra,  where  they  are  all  Christi- 
nos  and  negros]  Why  did  you  not  go  to 
my  village]  None  would  have  meddled  with 
you  there.  Those  of  my  village  are  of  a  dif- 
ferent stamp  to  the  drunkards  of  Finisterra, 
Those  of  my  village  never  interfere  with  ho- 
nest people.  Vaya!  how  I  hate  that  drunk- 
ard of  Finisterra  who  brought  you,  he  is  so 
old  and  ugly  !  Were  it  not  for  the  love  which 
I  bear  to  the  Senhor  Alcalde,  I  would  at  once 
unlock  the  gate  and  bid  you  go  forth,  you  and 
your  servant,  the  buen  mozo." 

Antonio  now  descended.  "  Follow  me," 
said  he;  "his  worship  the  alcalde  will  be 
ready  to  receive  you  in  a  moment."  Sebas- 
tian and  myself  followed  him  up  stairs  to  a 
room  where,  seated  behind  a  table,  we  beheld 
a  young  man  of  low  stature,  but  handsome 
features,  and  very  fashionably  dressed.  He 
appeared  to  be  inditing  a  letter,  which,  when 
he  had  concluded,  he  delivered  to  a  secretary 
to  be  transcribed.  He  then  looked  at  me  for 
a  moment  fixedly,  and  the  following  conver- 
sation ensued  between  us  : — 

Alcalde. — I  see  that  you  are  an  Englishman, 
and  my  friend  Antonio  here  informs  me  that 
you  have  been  arrested  at  Finisterra. 

Myself. — He  tells  you  true;  and  but  for  him 
I  believe  that  I  should  have  fallen  by  the  hands 
of  those  savage  fishermen. 

Alcalde. — The  inhabitants  of  Finisterra  are 
brave,  and  are  all  liberals.  Allow  sie  to  look 
at  your  passport.  Yes,  all  in  form.  Truly  it 
was  very  ridiculous  that  they  should  have  ar- 
rested you  as  a  Carlist. 

Myself. — Not  only  as  a  Carlist,  but  as  Don 
Carlos  himself. 

Alcalde. — Oh,  most  ridiculous!  mistake  a 
countryman  of  the  grand  Baintham  for  such  a 
Goth ! 

Myself. — Excuse  me,  Sir,  you  speak  of  the 
grand  somebody. 

Alcalde. — The  grand  Baintham;  he  who 
has  invented  laws  for  all  the  world.  I  hope 
shortly  to  see  them  adopted  in  this  unhappy 
country  of  ours. 

Myself. — Oh,  you  mean  Jeremy  Bentham. 
Yes — a  very  remarkable  man  in  his  way. 

Alcalde. — In  his  way  ! — in  all  ways.  The 
most  universal  genius  which  the  world  ever 
produced : — a  Solon,  a  Plato,  and  a  Lope  de 
Vega. 

Myself. — I  have  never  read  his  writings.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  he  was  a  Solon,  and,  as 
you  say,  a  Plato.  I  should  scarcely  have 
thought,  however,  that  he  could  be  ranked  as 
a  poet  with  Lope  de  Vega. 
Alcalde. — How  surprising !    I  see,  indeed, 


that  you  know  nothing  of  his  writings,  though 
an  Englishman.  Now  here  am  I,  a  simple 
alcalde  of  Galicia,  yet  I  possess  all  the  writ- 
ings of  Baintham  on  that  shelf,  and  I  study 
them  day  and  night. 

Myself. — You  doubtless.  Sir,  possess  the 
English  language. 

Alcalde. — I  do — I  mean  that  part  of  it  which 
is  contained  in  the  writings  of  Baintham.  I 
am  most  truly  glad  to  see  a  countryman  of  his 
in  these  Gothic  wildernesses.  I  understand 
and  appreciate  your  motives  for  visiting  them: 
excuse  the  incivility  and  rudeness  which  you 
have  experienced.  But  we  will  endeavour  to 
make  you  reparation.  Yon  are  this  moment 
free:  but  it  is  late;  1  must  find  you  a  lodging 
for  the  night.  1  know  one  close  by  which  will 
just  suit  you.  Let  us  repair  thither  this  mo- 
ment.   Stay,  I  think  I  see  a  book  in  your  hand. 

Myself. — The  New  Testament. 

Alcalde. — What  book  is  that? 

Myself. — A  portion  of  the  sacred  writings, 
the  Bible. 

Alcalde. — Why  do  you  carry  such  a  book 
with  you? 

Myself. — One  of  my  principal  motives  in 
visiting  Finisterra  was  to  carry  this  book  to 
that  wild  place. 

Alcalde. — Ha,  ha  !  how  very  singular.  Yes, 
I  remember.  I  have  heard  that  the  English 
highly  prize  this  eccentric  book.  How  very 
singular  that  the  countrymen  of  the  grand 
Baintham  should  set  any  value  upon  that  old 
monkish  book ! 

It  was  now  late  at  night,  and  my  new 
friend  attended  me  to  the  lodging  which  he 
had  destined  for  me,  and  which  was  at  the 
house  of  a  respectable  old  female,  where  I 
found  a  clean  and  comfortable  room.  On  the 
way  I  slipped  a  gratuity  into  the  hand  of  An- 
tonio, and  on  my  arrival,  formally,  and  in  the 
presence  of  the  alcalde,  presented  him  with 
the  Testament,  which  I  requested  he  would 
carry  back  to  Finisterra,  and  keep  in  remem- 
brance of  the  Englishman  in  whose  behalf  he 
had  so  effectually  interposed. 

Antonio. — I  will  do  so,  your  worship;  and 
when  the  winds  blow  from  the  north-west, 
preventing  our  launches  from  putting  to  sea, 
I  will  read  your  present.  Farewell,  my  cap- 
tain ;  and  when  you  next  come  to  Finisterra, 
I  hope  it  will  be  in  a  valiant  English  bark, 
with  plenty  of  contrabando  on  board,  and  not 
across  the  country  on  a  pony,  in  company 
with  nuveiros  and  men  of  Padron. 

Presently  arrived  the  handmaid  of  the  al- 
calde with  a  basket,  which  she  took  into  the 
kitchen,  where  she  prepared  an  excellent  sup- 
per for  her  master's  friend.  On  its  being 
served  up  the  alcalde  bade  me  farewell,  hav- 
ing first  demanded  whether  he  could  in  any 
way  forward  my  plans. 

"  I  return  to  St.  James  to-morrow,"  I  re- 
plied, "and  I  sincerely  hope  that  some  occa- 
sion will  occur  which  will  enable  me  to 
acquaint  the  world  with  the  hospitality  which 
I  have  experienced  from  so  accomplished  a 
scholar  as  the  Alcalde  of  Corcuvion." 


THE    BIBLE    IN  SPAIN. 


137 


CHAPTER  XXXr. 


Coruna — Crossing  the  Bay — •Ferrol — The  Dock-yard — Where  are  we  Now  ?— Greek  Ambassador 
— Lantern- Light — The  Ravine — Viveiro — Evening — Marsh  and  Quagmire — Fair  Words  and 
Fair  Money — The  Leathern  Girth — Eyes  of  Lynx — The  Knavish  Guide. 


From  Corcuvion  I  returned  to  Saint  James 
and  Coruna,  and  now  began  to  make  prepara- 
tion for  directing  my  course  to  the  Asturias, 
In  the  first  place  I  parted  with  my  Andalu- 
sian  horse,  which  I  considered  unfit  for  the 
long  and  mountainous  journey  I  was  about  to 
undertake;  his  constitution  having  become 
much  debilitated  from  his  Gallegan  travels. 
Owing  to  horses  being  exceedingly  scarce  at 
Coruna,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of 
him  at  a  far  higher  price  than  he  originally 
cost  me.  A  young  and  wealthy  merchant  of 
Coruna,  who  was  a  national  guardsman,  be- 
came enamoured  of  his  glossy  skin  and  long 
mane  and  tail.  For  my  own  part,  I  was  glad 
to  part  with  him  for  more  reasons  than  one  ; 
he  was  both  vicious  and  savage,  and  was 
continually  getting  me  into  scrapes  in  the 
stables  of  the  posadas  where  we  slept  or 
baited.  An  old  Castilian  peasant,  whose 
pony  he  had  maltreated,  once  said  to  me, 
"  Sir  Cavalier,  if  you  have  any  love  or  respect 
for  yourself,  get  rid  I  beseech  you  of  that 
beast,  who  is  capable  of  proving  the  ruin  of  a 
kingdom."  So  I  left  him  behind  at  Coruna, 
where  I  subsequently  learned  that  he  became 
glandered  and  died.     Peace  to  his  memory  ! 

From  Coruna  I  crossed  the  bay  to  Ferrol, 
whilst  Antonio  with  our  remaining  horse  fol- 
lowed by  land,  a  rather  toilsome  and  circuitous 
journey,  although  the  distance  by  water  is 
scarcely  three  leagues.  I  was  very  sea-sick 
during  the  passage,  and  lay  almost  senseless 
at  the  bottom  of  the  small  launch  in  which  I 
had  embarked,  and  which  was  crowded  with 
people.  The  wind  was  adverse,  and  the 
water  rough.  We  could  make  no  sail,  but 
were  impelled  along  by  the  oars  of  five  or  six 
stout  mariners,  who  sang  all  the  while  Gal- 
legan ditties.  Suddenly  the  sea  appeared  to 
have  become  quite  smooth,  and  my  sickness 
at  once  deserted  me.  I  rose  upon  my  feet 
and  looked  around.  We  were  in  one  of  the 
strangest  places  imaginable.  A  long  and 
narrow  passage  overhung  on  either  side  by  a 
stupendous  barrier  of  black  and  threatening 
rocks.  The  line  of  the  coast  was  here  divided 
by  a  natural  cleft,  yet  so  straight  and  regular 
that  it  seemed  not  the  work  of  chance  but 
design.  The  water  was  dark  and  sullen,  and 
of  immense  depth.  This  passage,  which  is 
about  a  mile  in  length,  is  the  entrance  to  a 
broad  basin,  at  whose  farther  extremity  stands 
the  town  of  Ferrol.  Sadness  came  upon  me 
as  soon  as  I  entered  this  place.  Grass  was 
growing  in  the  streets,  and  misery  and  dis- 
tress stared  me  in  the  face  on  every  side. 
Ferrol  is  the  grand  naval  arsenal  of  Spain, 
and  has  shared  in  the  ruin  of  the  once  splendid 
Spanish  navy :  it  is  no  longer  thronged  with 
18 


those  thousand  shipwrights  who  prepared  for 
sea  the  tremendous  three-deckers  and  long 
frigates,  the  greater  part  of  which  were  de- 
stroyed at  Trafalgar.  Only  a  few  ill-paid 
and  half-starved  workmen  still  linger  about, 
scarcely  sufficient  to  repair  any  guarda  costa 
which  may  put  in  dismantled  by  the  fire  of 
some  English  smuggling  schooner  from  Gib- 
raltar. Half  the  inhabitants  of  Ferrol  beg 
their  bread  ;  and  amongst  these,  as  it  is  said, 
are  not  unfrequently  found  retired  naval 
officers,  many  of  them  maimed  or  otherwise 
wounded,  who  are  left  to  pine  in  indigence  ; 
their  pensions  or  salaries  having  been  allowed 
to  run  three  or  four  years  in  arrear,  owing  to 
the  exigencies  of  the  times.  A  crowd  of  im- 
portunate beggars  followed  me  to  the  posada, 
and  even  attempted  to  penetrate  to  the  apart- 
ment to  which  I  was  conducted.  "  Who  are 
you '?"  said  I  to  a  woman  who  flung  herself 
at  my  feet,  and  who  bore  in  her  countenance 
evident  marks  of  former  gentility.  "A 
widow,  sir,"  she  replied,  in  very  good 
French ;  "  a  widow  of  a  brave  officer,  once 
admiral  of  this  port."  The  misery  and  de- 
gradation of  modern  Spain  are  nowhere  so 
strikingly  manifested  as  at  Ferrol. 

Yet  even  here  there  is  still  much  to  admire. 
Notwithstanding  its  present  state  of  desola- 
tion, it  contains  some  good  streets,  and 
abounds  with  handsome  houses.  The  alaraeda 
is  planted  with  nearly  a  thousand  elms,  of 
which  almost  all  are  magnificent  trees,  and 
the  poor  Ferrolese,  with  the  genuine  spirit 
of  localism  so  prevalent  in  Spain,  boast  that 
their  town  contains  a  better  public  walk  than 
Madrid,  of  whose  prado,  when  they  compare 
the  two,  they  speak  in  terms  of  unmitigated 
contempt.  At  one  end  of  this  alameda  stands 
the  church,  the  only  one  in  Ferrol.  To  this 
church  I  repaired  the  day  after  my  arrival, 
which  was  Sunday.  I  found  it  quite  insuffi- 
cient to  contain  the  number  of  worshippers 
who,  chiefly  from  the  country,  not  only 
crowded  the  interior,  but,  bare-headed,  were 
upon  their  knees  before  the  door  to  a  consi- 
derable distance  down  the  walk. 

Parallel  with  the  alameda  extends  the  wall 
of  the  naval  arsenal  and  dock.  I  spent  se- 
veral hours  in  walking  about  these  places,  to 
visit  which  it  is  necessary  to  procure  a  written 
permission  from  the  captain-general  of  Ferrol. 
They  filled  me  with  astonishment.  I  have 
seen  the  royal  dock-yards  of  Russia  and  Eng- 
land, but  for  grandeur  of  design  and  costliness 
of  execution,  they  cannot  for  a  moment  com- 
pare with  these  wonderful  monuments  of  the 
bygone  naval  pomp  of  Spain.  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  describe  them,  but  content  myself 
with  observing,  that  the  oblong  basin,  which 
m2 


133 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


is  surrounded  with  a  granite  mole,  is  capa- 
cious enough  to  permit  a  hundred  first-rates 
to  lie  conveniently  in  ordinary :  but  instead 
of  such  a  force,  I  saw  only  a  sixty  gun  frigate 
and  two  brigs  lying  in  this  basin,  and  to  this 
inconsiderable  number  of  vessels  is  the  pre- 
sent war  marine  of  Spain  reduced. 

I  waited  for  the  arrival  of  Antonio  two  or 
three  days  at  Ferrol,  and  still  he  came  not: 
late  one  evening,  however,  as  I  was  looking 
down  the  street,  I  perceived  him  advancing, 
leading  our  only  horse  by  the  bridle.  He 
informed  me  that  at  about  three  leagues  from 
Coruna,  the  heat  of  the  weather  and  the  flies 
had  so  distressed  the  animal  that  it  had  fallen 
down  in  a  kind  of  fit,  from  which  it  had  been 
only  relieved  by  copious  bleeding,  on  which 
account  he  had  been  compelled  to  halt  for  a 
day  upon  the  road.  The  horse  was  evidently 
in  a  very  feeble  state;  and  had  a  strange 
rattling  in  its  throat,  which  alarmed  me  at 
first.  I  however  administered  some  remedies, 
and  in  a  few  days  deemed  him  sufficiently 
recovered  to  proceed. 

We  accordingly  started  from  Ferrol ;  having 
first  hired  a  pony  for  myself,  and  a  guide  who 
was  to  attend  us  as  far  as  Rivadeo,  twenty 
leagues  from  Ferrol,  and  on  the  confines  of 
the  Asturias.  The  day  at  first  was  fine,  but 
ere  we  reached  Novales,  a  distance  of  three 
leagues,  the  sky  became  overcast,  and  a  mist 
descended,  accompanied  by  a  drizzling  rain. 
The  country  through  which  we  passed  was 
very  picturesque.  At  about  two  in  the  after- 
noon, we  could  descry  through  the  mist  the 
small  fishing  town  of  Santa  Marta  on  our 
left,  with  its  beautiful  bay.  Travelling  along 
the  summit  of  a  line  of  hills,  we  presently 
entered  a  chestnut  forest,  which  appeared  to 
be  without  limit :  the  rain  still  descended  and 
kept  up  a  ceaseless  pattering  among  the 
broad  green  leaves.  "This  is  the  commence- 
ment of  the  autumnal  rains,"  said  the  guide. 
"  Many  is  the  wetting  that  you  will  get,  my 
masters,  before  you  reach  Oviedo."  "  Have 
you  ever  been  as  far  as  Oviedo  ?"  I  demanded. 
"No,"  he  replied,  "and  once  only  to  Riva- 
deo, the  place  to  which  I  am  now  conducting 
you,  and  I  tell  you  frankly  that  we  shall 
soon  be  in  the  wildernesses  where  the  way  is 
hard  to  find,  especially  at  night,  and  amidst 
rain  and  waters.  I  wish  I  were  fairly  back 
to  Ferrol,  for  I  like  not  this  route,  which  is 
the  worst  in  Galicia,  in  more  respects  than 
one :  but  where  my  master's  pony  goes,  there 
must  I  go  too;  such  is  the  life  of  us  guides." 
I  shrugged  my  shoulders  at  this  intelligence, 
which  was  by  no  means  cheering,  but  made 
no  answer.  At  length,  about  nightfall,  we 
enverged  from  the  forest,  and  presently  de- 
scended into  a  deep  valley  at  the  foot  of  lofty 
hills. 

"  Where  are  we  now  1"  I  demanded  of  the 
guide,  as  we  crossed  a  ride  bridge  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  valley,  down  which  a  rivulet 
swollen  by  the  rain  foamed  and  roared.  "In 
the  valley  of  Coisa  doiro,"  he  replied;  "and 
it  is  my  advice  that  we  stay  here  for  the 
night,  and  do  not  veutuie  among  those  hills. 


through  which  lies  the  path  to  Viveiro ;  for 
as  soon  as  we  get  there,  adios !  I  shall  be  be- 
wildered, which  will  prove  the  destruction 
of  us  all."  "Is  there  a  village  nigh?" 
"  Yes,  the  village  is  right  before  us,  and  we 
shall  be  there  in  a  moment."  We  soon 
reached  the  village,  which  stood  amongst 
some  tall  trees  at  the  entrance  of  a  pass 
which  led  up  amongst  the  hills.  Antonia 
dismounted  and  entered  two  or  three  of  the 
cabins,  but  presently  came  to  me,  saying, 
"  We  cannot  stay  here,  mon  maitre,  without 
being  devoured  by  vermin ;  we  had  better  be 
amongst  the  hills  than  in  this  place ;  there  is 
neither  fire  nor  light  in  these  cabins,  and  the 
rain  is  streaming  through  the  roofs."  The 
guide,  however,  refused  to  proceed :  "  I  could 
scarcely  find  my  way  amongst  those  hills  by 
daylight,"  he  cried,  surlily,  "  much  less  at 
night,  midst  storm  and  bretima."  We  pro- 
cured some  wine  and  maize  bread  from  one 
of  the  cottages.  Whilst  we  were  partaking 
of  these,  Antonio  said,  "  Mon  maitre,  the 
best  thing  we  can  do  in  our  present  situation, 
is  to  hire  some  fellow  of  this  village  to  con- 
duct us  through  the  hills  to  Viveiro.  There 
are  no  beds  in  this  place,  and  if  we  lie  down 
in  the  litter  in  our  damp  clothes  we  shall 
catch  a  tertian  of  Galicia.  Our  present  guide 
is  of  no  service,  we  must  therefore  find  an- 
other to  do  his  duty."  Without  waiting  foi 
a  reply,  he  flung  down  the  crust  of  broa 
which  he  was  munching  and  disappeared.  I 
subsequently  learned  that  he  went  to  the  cot- 
tage of  the  alcalde,  and  demanded,  in  the 
Queen's  name,  a  guide  for  the  Greek  ambas- 
sador, who  was  benighted  on  his  way  to  the 
Asturias.  In  about  ten  minutes  I  again  saw 
him,  attended  by  the  local  functionarj',  who, 
to  my  surprise,  made  me  a  profound  bow,  and 
stood  bareheaded  in  the  rain.  "  His  excel 
lency,"  shouted  Antonio,  "  is  in  need  of  a 
guide  to  Viveiro.  People  of  our  description 
are  not  compelled  to  pay  for  any  service 
which  they  may  require;  however,  as  his 
excellency  has  bowels  of  compassion,  he  is 
willing  to  give  three  pesetas  to  any  competent 
person  who  will  accompany  him  to  Viveiro, 
and  as  much  bread  and  wine  as  he  can  eat 
and  drink  on  his  arrival."  "His  excellency 
shall  be  served,"  said  the  alcalde;  "how- 
ever, as  the  way  is  long  and  the  path  is  bad, 
and  there  is  much  bretima  amongst  the  hills, 
it  appears  to  me  that,  besides  the  bread  and 
wine,  his  excellency  can  do  no  less  than  oflTer 
four  pesetas  to  the  guide  who  may  be  willing 
to  accompany  him  to  Viveiro;  and  I  know 
no  better  one  than  my  own  son-in-law,  Juan- 
it«."  Content,  senor  alcalde,"  I  replied; 
"produce  the  guide,  and  the  extra  peseta 
shall  be  forthcoming  in  due  season." 

Soon  appeared  Juanito  with  a  lantern  in 
his  hand.  We  instantly  set  forward.  The 
two  guides  began  conversing  in  Gallegan. 
"  Mon  maitre,"  said  Antonio,  "  this  new 
scoundrel  is  asking  the  old  what  he  thinks 
we  have  got  in  our  portmanteaus."  Then, 
without  awaiting  my  answer,  he  shouted, 
"  Pistols,  ye  barbarians !  Pistols,  as  yoa  shall 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


139 


learn  to  your  cost,  if  you  do  not  cease  speak- 
ing in  that  gibberish  and  converse  in  Casti- 
liaii."  The  Gallegans  were  silent,  and 
presently  the  first  guide  dropped  behind, 
whilst  the  other  with  the  lantern  moved  be- 
fore. "  Keep  in  the  rear,"  said  Antonio  to 
the  former,  "and  at  a  distance:  know  one 
thing,  moreover,  that  I  can  see  behind  as  well 
as  before.  Mon  maitre,"  said  he  to  me,  "  I 
don't  suppose  these  fellows  will  attempt  to 
do  us  any  harm,  more  especially  as  they  do 
not  know  each  other ;  it  ts  well,  however,  to 
separate  them,  for  this  is  a  time  and  place 
which  might  tempt  any  one  to  commit  rob- 
bery and  murder  too." 

The  rain  still  continued  to  fall  uninterrupt- 
edly, the  path  was  rugged  and  precipitous, 
and  the  night  was  so  dark  that  we  could  only 
see  indistinctly  the  hills  which  surrounded 
us.  Once  or  twice  our  guide  seemed  to  have 
lost  his  way :  he  stopped,  muttered  to  him- 
self, raised  his  lantern  on  high,  and  would 
then  walk  slowly  and  hesitatingly  forward. 
In  this  manner  we  proceeded  for  three  or  four 
hours,  when  I  asked  the  guide  how  far  we 
were  from  Viveiro.  "  I  do  not  know  exactly 
where  we  are,  your  worship,"  he  replied, 
"  though  I  believe  we  are  in  the  route.  We 
can  scarcely,  however,  be  less  than  two  mad 
leagues  from  Viveiro."  "  Then  we  shall  not 
arrive  there  before  morning,"  interrupted  An- 
tonio, "  for  a  mad  league  of  Galicia  means  at 
least  two  of  Castile;  and  perhaps  we  are 
doomed  never  to  arrive  there,  if  the  way 
thither  leads  down  this  precipice."  As  he 
spoke,  the  guide  seemed  to  descend  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  "  Stop,"  said  I,  "  where 
are  you  going  1"  "To  Viveiro,  Senhor," 
replied  the  fellow :  "  this  is  the  way  to  Vi- 
veiro, there  is  no  other ;  I  now  know  where  we 
are."  The  light  of  the  lantern  shone  upon 
the  dark  red  features  of  the  guide,  who  had 
turned  round  to  reply,  as  he  stood  some  yards 
down  the  side  of  a  dingle  or  ravine  overgrown 
with  thick  trees,  beneath  whose  leafy 
branches  a  frightfully  steep  path  descended. 
I  dismounted  from  the  pony,  and  delivering 
the  bridle  to  the  other  guide,  said,  "  Here  is 
your  master's  horse,  if  you  please  you  may 
lead  him  down  that  abyss,  but  as  for  myself 
I  wash  my  hands  of  tlie  matter."  The  fel- 
low, without  a  word  of  reply,  vaulted  into 
the  saddle,  and  with  a  vamos,  Perico !  to  the 
poney,  impelled  the  creature  to  the  descent. 
"  Come,  Senhor,"  said  he  with  the  lantern, 
"  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost,  my  light  will  be 
presently  extinguished,  and  this  is  the  worst 
bit  in  the  whole  road."  I  thought  it  very 
probable  that  he  was  about  to  lead  us  to  some 
den  of  cut-throats,  where  we  ftiight  be  sacri- 
ficed ;  but,  taking  courage,  I  seized  our  own 
horse  by  the  bridle,  and  followed  the  fellow 
down  the  ravine  amidst  rocks  and  brambles. 
The  descent  lasted  nearly  ten  minutes,  and 
ere  we  had  entirely  accomplished  it,  the  light 
in  the  lantern  went  out,  and  we  remained  in 
nearly  total  darkness. 

Encouraged,  however,  by  the  guide,  who 
assured  us  there  was  no  danger,  we  at  length 


reached  the  bottom  of  the  ravine ;  here  we 
encountered  a  rill  of  water,  through  which 
we  were  compelled  to  wade  as  high  as  the 
knee.  In  the  midst  of  the  water  I  looked  up 
and  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  heavens  through 
the  branches  of  the  trees,  which  all  around 
clothed  the  shelving  sides  of  the  ravine  and 
completely  embowered  the  channel  of  the 
stream :  to  a  place  more  strange  and  replete 
with  gloom  and  horror  no  benighted  traveller 
ever  found  his  way.  After  a  short  pause,  we 
commenced  scaling  the  opposite  bank,  which 
we  did  not  find  so  steep  as  the  other,  and  a 
few  minutes'  exertion  brought  us  to  the  top. 

Shortly  afterwards  the  rain  abated,  and  the 
moon  arising  cast  a  dim  light  through  the 
watery  mists :  the  way  had  become  less  pre- 
cipitous, and  in  about  two  hours  we  descend- 
ed to  the  shore  of  an  extensive  creek,  along 
which  we  proceeded  till  we  reached  a  spot 
where  many  boats  and  barges  lay  with  their 
keels  upward  upon  the  sand.  Presently  we 
beheld  before  ws  the  walls  of  Viveiro,  upon 
which  the  moon  was  shedding  its  sickly  lus- 
tre. We  entered  by  a  lofty  and  seemingly 
ruinous  archway,  and  the  guide  conducted  us 
at  once  to  the  posada. 

Every  person  in  Viveiro  appeared  to  be 
buried  in  profound  slumber;  not  so  much  as 
a  dog  saluted  us  with  his  bark.  After  much 
knocking,  we  were  admitted  into  the  posada, 
a  large  and  dilapidated  edifice.  We  had 
scarcely  housed  ourselves  and  horses  when 
the  rain  began  to  fall  with  yet  more  vio- 
lence than  before,  attended  with  much  thun- 
der and  lightning.  Antonio  and  I,  exhausted 
with  fatigue,  betook  ourselves  to  flock  beds 
in  a  ruinous  chamber,  into  which  the  rain 
penetrated  through  many  a  cranny,  whilst  the 
guides  ate  bread  and  drank  wine  till  the 
morning. 

When  I  arose,  I  was  gladdened  by  the  sight 
of  a  fine  day.  Antonio  forthwith  prepared  a 
savoury  breakfast  of  stewed  fowl,  of  which 
we  stood  in  much  need  after  the  ten  league 
journey  of  the  preceding  day  over  the  ways 
which  I  have  attempted  to  describe.  I  then 
walked  out  to  view  the  town,  which  con- 
sists of  little  more  than  one  long  street  on  the 
side  of  a  steep  mountain  thickly  clad  with 
forest  and  fruit  trees.  At  about  ten  we  con- 
tinued our  journey,  accompanied  by  our  first 
guide,  the  other  having  returned  to  Coisa 
doiro  some  hours  previously. 

Our  route  throughout  this  day  was  almost 
constantly  within  sight  of  the  shores  of  the 
Cantabrian  sea,  whose  windings  we  followed. 
The  country  was  barren,  and  in  many  parts 
covered  with  huge  stones :  cultivated  spots, 
however,  were  to  be  seen,  where  vines  were 
growing.  We  met  with  but  few  human  habi- 
tations. We,  however,  journeyed  on  cheer- 
fully, for  the  sun  was  once  more  shining  in 
full  brightness,  gilding  the  wild  moors,  and 
shining  upon  the  waters  of  the  distant  sea, 
which  lay  in  unruflled  calmness. 

At  evening  fall  we  were  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  shore,  with  a  range  of  wood-co- 
vered hills  on  our  right.     Our  guide  led  us 


140 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


towards  a  creek  bordered  by  a  marsh,  but  lie 
soon  stopped  and  declared  that  he  did  not 
know  whither  he  was  conducting  us. 

"Mon  maitre,"  said  Antonio,  "let  us  be 
our  own  guides ;  it  is,  as  you  see,  of  no  use 
to  depend  upon  this  fellow,  whose  whole  sci- 
ence consists  in  leading  people  into  quag- 
mires." 

We  therefore  turned  aside  and  proceeded 
along  tlie  marsh  for  a  considerable  distance, 
till  we  reached  a  narrow  path  which  led  us 
into  a  thick  wood,  where  we  soon  became 
completely  bewildered.  On  a  sudden,  after 
wandering  about  a  considerable  time,  we 
heard  the  noise  of  water,  and  presently  the 
clack  of  a  wheel.  Following  the  sound,  we 
arrived  at  a  low  stone  mill,  built  over  a  brook ; 
here  we  stopped  and  shouted,  but  no  answer 
was  returned.  "  The  place  is  deserted,"  said 
Antonio;  »•  here,  however,  is  a  path,  which, 
if  we  follow  it,  will  doubtless  lead  us  to  some 
human  habitation."  So  we  went  along  the 
path,  which,  in  about  ten  minutes,  brought  us 
to  the  door  of  a  cabin  in  which  we  saw  lights. 
Antonio  dismounted  and  opened  the  door: 
"  Is  there  any  one  here  who  can  conduct  us 
to  RivadeoT'  he  demanded. 

"  Senhor,"  answered  a  voice,  "  Rivadeo  is 
more  than  five  leagues  from  here,  and,  more- 
over, there  is  a  river  to  cross !" 

"  Ttien  to  the  next  village,"  continued  An- 
tonio. 

"  I  am  a  vecino  of  the  next  village,  which 
is  on  the  way  to  Rivadeo,"  said  another  voice, 
"  and  I  will  lead  you  thither  if  you  will  give 
me  fair  words,  and  what  is  better,  fair  money." 

A  man  now  came  forth,  holding  in  his  hand 
a  large  stick.  He  strode  sturdily  before  us, 
and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  led  us  out  of 
the  wood.  In  another  half  hour  he  brought 
us  to  a  group  of  cabins  situated  near  the  sea ; 
he  pointed  to  one  of  these,  and  having  re- 
ceived a  peseta,  bade  us  farewell. 

The  people  of  the  cottage  willingly  con- 
sented to  receive  us  for  the  night:  it  was 
much  more  cleanly  and  commodious  than  the 
wretched  huts  of  the  Gallegan  peasantry  in 
general.  The  ground  floor  consisted  of  a 
keeping  room  and  stable,  whilst  above  us  was 
a  long  loft,  in  which  were  some  neat  and  com- 
fortable flock  beds.  I  observed  several  masts 
and  sails  of  boats.  The  family  consisted  of 
two  brothers  with  their  wives  and  families ; 
one  was  a  fisherman,  but  the  other,  who  ap- 
peared to  be  the  principal  person,  informed 
me  that  he  had  resided  for  many  years  in  ser- 
vice at  Madrid,  and  having  amassed  a  small 
sum,  he  had  at  length  returned  to  his  native 
village,  where  he  had  purchased  some  land 
which  he  farmed.  All  the  family  used  the 
Castilian  language  in  their  common  discourse, 
and  on  inquiry  I  learned  that  the  Gallegan 
was  not  much  spoken  in  that  neighbourhood. 
I  have  forgotten  the  name  of  this  village, 
which  is  situated  on  the  estuary  of  the  Foz, 
which  rolls  down  from  Mondonedo.  In  the 
morning  we  crossed  this  estuary  in  a  large 
boat  with  our  horses,  and  about  noon  arrived 
at  Rivadeo. 


"  Now,  your  worship,"  said  the  guide  who 
had  accompanied  us  from  Ferrol,  "I  have 
brought  you  as  far  as  I  bargained,  and  a  hard 
journey  it  has  been:  I  therefore  hope  you 
will  sutTer  Perico  and  myself  to  remain 
here  to-night  at  your  expense,  and  to-morrow 
we  will  go  back;  at  present  we  are  both 
sorely  tired." 

"  I  never  mounted  a  better  pony  than  Peri- 
co," said  1,  "and  never  met  with  a  worse 
guide  than  yourself.  You  appear  to  be  per- 
fectly ignorant  of  the  country,  and  have  done 
nothing  but  bring  us  into  difficulties.  You 
may,  however,  stay  here  for  the  night,  as  you 
say  you  are  tired,  and  to-morrow  you  may  re- 
turn to  Ferrol,  where  I  counsel  you  to  adopt 
some  other  trade."  This  was  said  at  the  door 
of  the  posada  of  Rivadeo. 

"  Shall  I  lead  the  horses  to  a  stable  1"  said 
the  fellow. 

"  As  you  please,"  said  I. 

Antonio  looked  after  him  for  a  moment,  as 
he  was  leading  the  animals  away,  and  then 
shaking  his  head,  followed  slowly  after.  In 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  returned,  laden 
with  the  furniture  of  our  own  horse,  and  with 
a  smile  upon  his  countenance :  "  Mon  maitre," 
said  he,  "I  have  throughout  the  journey  had 
a  bad  opinion  of  this  fellow,  and  now  I  have 
detected  him  :  his  motive  in  requesting  per- 
mission to  stay,  was  a  desire  to  purloin  some- 
thing from  us.  He  was  very  officious  in  the 
stable  about  our  horse,  and  I  now  miss  the 
new  leathern  girth  which  secured  the  saddle, 
and  which  I  observed  him  looking  at  frequent- 
ly on  the  road.  He  has  by  this  lime  doubt- 
less hid  it  somewhere;  we  are  quite  secure 
of  him,  however,  for  he  has  not  yet  received 
the  hire  for  the  pony,  nor  the  gratuity  for  him- 
self." 

The  guide  returned  just  as  he  had  con- 
cluded speaking.  Dishonesty  is  always  sus- 
picious. The  fellow  cast  a  glance  upon  us, 
and  probably  beholding  in  our  countenances 
something  which  he  did  not  like,  he  suddenly 
said,  "  Give  me  the  horse-hire  and  my  own 
propina,  for  Perico  and  I  wish  to  be  oflf  in- 
stantly." 

"How  is  this,"  said  I;  "I  thought  you 
and  Perico  were  both  fatigued,  and  wished  to 
rest  here  for  the  night ;  you  have  soon  recover- 
ed from  your  weariness." 

"I  have  thought  over  the  matter,"  said  the 
fellow,  "and  my  master  will  be  angry  if  I 
loiter  here  :  pay  us,  therefore,  and  let  us  go." 

"Certainly,"  said  I,  "if  you  wish  it.  Is 
the  horse-furniture  all  right?" 

"  Quite  so,"  said  he ;  "I  delivered  it  all  to 
your  servant." 

"It  is  all  here,"  said  Antonio,  "  with  the 
exception  of  the  leathern  girth." 

"I  have  not  got  it,"  said  the  guide. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  I.  "  Let  us  proceed 
to  the  stable,  we  shall  perhaps  find  it  there." 

To  the  stable  we  went,  which  we  searched 
through;  no  girth,  however,  was  forthcoming. 
"  He  has  got  it  buckled  round  his  middle  be- 
neath his  pantaloons,  mon  maitre,"  said  Anto- 
nio, whose  eyes  were  moving  about  like  those 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


141 


of  a  lynx;  *'I  saw  the  protuberance  as  he 
stooped  down.  However,  let  us  take  no  no- 
tice: he  is  here  surrounded  by  his  country- 
men, who,  if  we  were  to  seize  him,  might  per- 
haps take  his  part.  As  I  said  before,  he  is  in 
our  power,  as  we  have  not  paid  him." 

The  fellow  now  began  to  talk  in  Gallegan 
to  tlie  bystanders,  (several  persons  having 
collected,)  wishing  the  Denho  to  take  him  if 
he  knew  any  thing  of  the  missing  property. 
Nobody,  however,  seemed  inclined  to  take 
his  part;  and  those  who  listened,  only  shrug- 
ged their  shoulders.  We  returned  to  the 
portal  of  the  posada,  the  fellow  following  us, 
clamouring  for  the  horse-hire  and  propina. 
We  made  him  no  answer,  and  at  length  he 
went  away,  threatening  to  apply  to  the  justi- 
cia;  in  about  ten  minutes,  however,  he  came 
running  back  with  the  girth  in  his  hand  :  "I 
have  just  found  it,"  said  he,  "  in  the  street; 
your  servant  dropped  it." 

I  took  the  leather  and  proceeded  very  de- 
liberately to  count  out  the  sum  to  which  the 
horse-hire  amounted,  and  having  delivered  it 
to  him  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  I  said  : 
"During  the  whole  journey  you  have  been  of 
no  service  to  us  whatever;  nevertheless,  you  i 
have  fared  like  ourselves,  and  have  had  all 
you  could  desire  to  eat  and  drink.  I  had  in- j 
tended,  on  your  leaving  us,  to  have  presented  I 


you,  moreover,  with  a  propina  of  two  dollars; 
but  since,  notwithstanding  our  kind  treatment, 
you  endeavoured  to  pillage  us,  I  will  not  give 
you  a  cuarto :  go,  therefore,  about  your  busi- 
ness." 

All  the  audience  expressed  their  satisfac- 
tion at  this  sentence,  and  told  him  that  he 
had  been  rightly  served,  and  that  he  was  a 
disgrace  to  Galicia.  Two  or  three  women 
crossed  themselves,  and  asked  him  if  he  was 
not  afraid  that  the  Denho,  whom  he  had  in- 
voked, would  take  him  away.  At  last,  a  re- 
spectable-looking man  said  to  him  :  "  Are  you 
not  ashamed  to  have  attempted  to  rob  two  in- 
nocent strangers  ?" 

"  Strangers  !"  roared  the  fellow,  who  was 
by  this  time  foaming  with  rage;  "innocent 
strangers,  carracho  !  they  know  more  of  Spain 
and  Galicia  too,  than  the  whole  of  us.  Oh, 
Denho,  that  servant  is  no  man  but  a  wizard, 
a  nuveiro. — Where  is  Perico?" 

He  mounted  Perico,  and  proceeded  forth- 
with to  another  posada.  The  tale,  however, 
of  his  dishonesty  had  gone  before  him,  and 
no  person  would  house  him  ;  whereupon  he 
returned  on  his  steps,  and  seeing  me  looking 
out  of  the  window  of  the  house,  he  gave  a 
savage  shout,  and  shaking  his  fist  at  me,  gal- 
loped out  of  the  town ;  the  people  pursuing 
him  with  hootings  and  revilings. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Martin  of  Rivadeo — The  factious  Mare — Asturians — Luarca — The  seven  Bellofas — Hermits- 
Asturian's  Tale — Strange  Guests — The  big  Servant — Batuschca. 


-The 


"  What  may  your  business  be  1"  said  I  to 
a  short,  thick,  merry-faced  fellow  in  a  velve- 
teen jerkin  and  canvas  pantaloons,  who  made 
his  way  into  my  apartment,  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening. 

"1  am  Martin  of  Rivadeo,  your  worship," 
replied  the  man,  "an  esquilador  by  profes- 
sion; I  am  told  that  you  want  a  horse  for  your 
journey  into  the  Asturias  to-morrow,  and  of 
course  a  guide :  now  if  that  be  the  case,  I 
counsel  you  to  hire  myself  and  mare." 

"  I  am  become  tired  of  guides,"  I  replied ; 
"so  much  so  that  I  was  thinking  of  purchas- 
ing a  pony,  and  proceeding  without  any  guide 
at  all.  The  last  which  we  had  was  an  infa- 
mous character." 

"So  I  have  been  told,  your  worship,  and  it 
was  well  for  the  bribon  that  I  was  not  in  Ri- 
vadeo when  the  affair  to  which  you  allude  oc- 
curred. But  he  was  gone  with  the  pony  Pe- 
rico before  I  came  back,  or  I  would  have  bled 
the  fellow  to  a  certainty  with  my  knife.  He 
is  a  disgrace  to  the  profession,  which  is  one  of 
the  most  honourable  and  ancient  in  the  world. 
Perico  himself  must  have  been  ashamed  of 
him,  for  Perico,  though  a  pony,  is  a  gentle- 
man, one  of  many  capacities,  and  well  known 
upon  the  roads.  He  is  only  inferior  to  my , 
mare."  I 


"  Are  you  well  acquainted  with  the  road  to 
Oviedo]"  I  demanded. 

"  I  am  not,  your  worship  ;  that  is,  no  far- 
ther than  Luarca,  which  is  the  first  day's 
journe}^.  I  do  not  wish  to  deceive  you, 
therefore  let  me  go  with  j'ou  no  farther  than 
that  place;  though  perhaps  1  might  serve  for 
the  wholejourney,  for  though  I  am  unacquaint- 
ed with  the  country,  I  have  a  tongue  in  my 
head,  and  nimble  feet  to  run  and  ask  ques- 
tions. I  will,  however,  answer  for  myself  no 
farther  than  Luarca,  where  you  can  please 
yourselves.  Your  being  strangers  is  what 
makes  me  wish  to  accompany  you,  for  I  like 
the  conversation  of  strangers,  from  whom  I  am 
sure  to  gain  information  both  entertaining  and 
profitable.  I  wish,  moreover,  to  convince  you 
that  we  guides  of  Galicia  are  not  all  thieves, 
which  I  am  sure  you  will  not  suppose  if  you 
will  only  permit  me  to  accompany  you  as  fai 
as  Luarca." 

I  was  so  much  struck  with  the  fellow's 
good  humour  and  frankness,  and  more  espe- 
cially by  the  originality  of  character  displayed 
in  almost  every  sentence  which  he  uttered, 
that  I  readily  engaged  him  to  guide  us  to 
Luarca;  whereupon  he  left  me,  promising  to 
be  ready  with  his  mare  at  eight  next  morning. 

Rivadeo  is  one  of  the  principal  sea-ports  of 


142 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


Galicia,  and  is  admirably  situated  for  com- 
merce, on  a  deep  frith,  into  which  the  river 
Mirando  debouches.  It  contains  many  mag- 
nificent buildings,  and  an  extensive  square  or 
plaza,  which  is  planted  with  trees.  I  observed 
several  vessels  in  the  harbour;  and  the  popu- 
lation, which  is  rather  numerous,  exhibited 
none  of  those  marks  of  misery  and  dejection 
which  I  had  lately  observed  among  the  Ferro- 
Jese. 

On  the  morrow  Martin  of  Rivadeo  made  his 
appearance  at  the  appointed  hour  with  his 
mare.  It  was  a  lean  haggard  animal,  not  much 
larger  than  a  pony  ;  it  had  good  points,  how- 
ever, and  was  very  clean  in  its  hinder  legs, 
and  Martin  insisted  that  it  was  the  best  ani- 
mal of  its  kind  in  all  Spain.  "  It  is  a  factious 
mare,"  said  he,  "and  I  believe  an  Alavese. 
When  the  Carlists  came  here  it  fell  lame,  and 
they  left  it  behind,  and  I  purchased  it  for  a 
dollar.  It  is  not  lame  now,  however,  as  you 
«hall  soon  see." 

We  had  now  reached  the  frith  which  divides 
Galicia  from  the  Asturias.  A  kind  of  barge 
was  lying  about  two  yards  from  the  side  of 
the  quay,  wailing  to  take  us  over.  Towards 
this  Martin  led  his  mare,  and  giving  an  en- 
couraging shout,  the  creature  without  any 
hesitation  sprang  over  the  intervening  space 
into  the  barge.  "  I  told  you  she  was  a  fac- 
ciosa,"  said  Martin ;  "  none  but  a  factious 
animal  would  have  taken  such  a  leap." 

"  We  all  embarked  in  the  barge  and  crossed 
over  the  frith,  which  is  in  this  place  nearly  a 
mile  broad,  to  Castro  Pol,  the  first  town  in  the 
Asturias.  I  now  mounted  the  factious  mare, 
whilst  Antonio  followed  on  my  own  horse. 
Martin  led  the  way,  exchanging  jests  with 
every  person  whom  he  met  on  the  road,  and 
occasionally  enlivening  the  way  with  an  ex- 
temporaneous song. 

We  were  now  in  the  Austurias,  and  about 
noon  we  reached  Navias,  a  small  fishing 
town,  situate  on  a  ria  or  frith  :  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood are  ragged  mountains,  called  the 
Sierra  de  Buron,  which  stands  in  the  shape 
of  a  semicircle.  We  saw  a  gmall  vessel  in 
the  harbour,  which  we  subsequently  learned 
was  from  the  Basque  provinces,  come  for  a 
cargo  of  cider  or  sagadua,  the  beverage  so 
dearly  loved  by  the  Basques.  As  we  passed 
along  the  narrow  street,  Antonio  was  hailed 
with  an  "  Ola"  from  a  species  of  shop  in 
which  three  men,  apparently  shoemakers, 
were  seated.  He  stopped  for  some  time  to 
converse  with  them,  and  when  he  joined  us  at 
ii\e  posada  where  we  halted,  I  asked  him  who 
they  were:  "Mon  maitre,"  said  he,  '■'■ce  sont 
des  messieurs  de  ma  cunnoissance.  I  have  been 
fellow  servant  at  different  times  with  all 
three;  and  I  tell  you  beforehand,  that  we 
shall  scarcely  pass  through  a  village  in  this 
coaiitry  where  I  shall  not  find  an  acquaint- 
ance. All  the  Asturians,  at  some  period  of 
their  lives,  make  a  journey  to  Madrid,  where, 
if  they  can  obtain  a  situation,  they  remain 
until  they  have  scraped  up  sufficient  to  turn  to 
advantage  in  their  own  country;  and  as  1 
have  served  in  all  the  great  houses  in  Madrid, 


I  am  acquainted  with  the  greatest  part  of 
them.  1  have  nothing  to  say  against  the  As- 
turians, save  that  they  are  close  and  penuri- 
ous whilst  at  service ;  but  they  are  not  thieves, 
neither  at  home  nor  abroad,  and  though  we 
must  have  our  wits  about  us  in  their  country, 
I  have  heard  we  may  travel  from  one  end  of  it 
to  the  other  viithout  the  slightest  fear  of  being 
either  robbed  or  ill-treated,  which  is  not  the 
case  in  Galicia,  where  we  were  always  in 
danger  of  having  our  throats  cut." 

Leaving  Navias,  we  proceeded  through  a 
wild  desolate  country,  til!  we  reached  the  pass 
of  Baralia,  which  lies  up  the  side  of  a  huge 
wall  of  rocks,  which  at  a  distance  appear  of  a 
light  green  colour,  though  perfectly  bare  of 
herbagfe  or  plants  of  any  description. 

"This  pass,"  said  Martin  of  Rivadeo, 
"bears  a  very  evil  reputation,  and  I  should 
not  like  to  travel  it  after  sunset.  It  is  not  in- 
fested by  robbers,  but  by  things  much  worse, 
the  duendes  of  two  friars  of  Saint  Francis.  It 
is  said  that  in  the  old  time,  long  before  the 
convents  were  suppressed,  two  friars  of  the 
order  of  Saint  Francis  left  their  convent  to  beg ; 
it  chanced  that  they  were  very  successful,  but 
as  they  were  returning  at  nightfall  by  this 
pass,  they  had  a  quarrel  about  what  they  had 
collected,  each  insisting  that  he  had  done  his 
duty  better  than  the  other;  at  last,  from  high 
words  they  fell  to  abuse,  and  from  abuse  to 
blows.  W'hatdo  you  think  these  demons  of 
friars  did  ?  They  took  off  their  cloaks,  and  at 
the  end  of  each  they  made  a  knot,  in  which 
they  placed  a  large  stone,  and  with  these  they 
thrashed  and  belaboured  each  other  till  both 
fell  dead.  Master,  I  know  not  which  are  the 
worst  plagues,  friars,  curates,  or  sparrows: 

'  May  the  Lord  God  preserve  us  from  evil  birds 

three  : 
From  all  friars  and  curates  and  sparrows  that  be ; 
For  the  sparrows  eat  up  all  ihe  corn  that  we  sow, 
The  friars  drink  down  all  the  wine  that  we  grow. 
Whilst  the  curates  have  all  the  fair  dames  at  their 

nod ; 
From  these  three  evil  curses  preserve  us,  Lord 

God.'  " 

In  about  two  hours  from  this  time,  we 
reached  Luarca,  the  situation  of  which  is 
most  singular.  It  stands  in  a  deep  hollow, 
whose  sides  are  so  precipitous  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  descry  the  town  until  you  stand  just 
above  it.  At  the  northern  extremity  of  this 
hollow  is  a  small  harbour,  the  sea  entering 
by  a  narrow  cleft.  We  found  a  large  and 
comfortable  posada,  and  by  the  advice  of  Mar- 
tin, made  inquiry  for  a  fresh  guide  and  horse; 
we  were  informed,  however,  that  all  the 
horses  of  the  place  were  absent,  and  that  if 
we  waited  for  their  return,  we  must  tarry  for 
two  days.  "I  had  a  presentiment,"  said 
Martin,  "  when  we  entered  Luarca,  that  we 
were  not  doomed  to  part  at  present.  You 
must  now  hire  my  mare  and  me  as  far  as 
Giyon,  from  whence  there  is  a  conveyance  to 
Oviedo.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  am  by  no 
means  sorry  that  the  guides  are  absent,  for  1 
am  pleased  with  your  company,  as  I  make  no 
doubt  you  are  with  mine.     I  will  now  go  and 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


148 


write  a  letter  to  my  wife  at  Rivadeo,  inform- 
ing her  that  she  must  not  expect  to  see  me 
back  for  several  days."  He  then  went  out 
of  the  room  singing  the  following  stanza  : 

"  A  handless  man  a  letter  did  write, 
A  dumb  dictated  it  word  for  word : 
The  person  who  read  it  had  lost  his  sight, 
And  deaf  was  he  who  Ustened  and  heard." 
Early  the  next  morning  we  emerged  from 
the  hollow  of  Lnarca:  about  an  hour's  riding 
brought  us  to  Caneiro,  a  deep  and  romantic 
valley  of  rocks,  shaded  by  tall  chestnut,  trees. 
Through  the  midst  of  this  valley  rushes  a 
rapid   stream,  which   we  crossed  in  a  boat. 
"There  is  not  such  a  stream  for  trout  in  all 
the   Asturias,"    said    the   ferryman;    "look 
down  into  the  waters,  and  observe  the  large 
stones  over  which  it  flows ;  now  in  the  pro- 
per season,  and  in  fine  weather,  you  cannot 
see   those   stones  for  the  multitudes  of  fish 
which  cover  them," 

Leaving  the  valley  behind  us,  we  entered 
into  a  wild  and  dreary  country,  stony  and 
mountainous.  The  day  was  dull  and  gloomy, 
and  all  around  looked  sad  and  melancholy. 
"  Are  we  in  the  way  for  Giyon  and  Oviedo  1" 
demanded  Martin  of  an  ancient  female,  who 
stood  at  the  door  of  a  cottage. 

"For  Giyon  and  Oviedo!"  replied  the 
crone;  "many  is  the  weary  step  you  will 
have  to  make  before  you  reach  Giyon  and 
Oviedo.  You  must  first  of  all  crack  the  bel- 
lotas  ;  you  are  just  below  them." 

"  What  does  she  mean  by  cracking  the  bel- 
lotas?"  demanded  I,  of  Martin  of  Rivadeo. 

"  Did  your  worship  never  hear  of  the  seven 
bellotas"?"  replied  our  guide,  "  I  can  scarcely 
tell  you  what  they  are,  as  I  have  never  seen 
them ;  I  believe  they  are  seven  hills  which 
we  have  to  cross,  and  are  called  bellotas  from 
some  resemblance  to  acorns  which  it  is  fancied 
they  bear.  I  have  often  heard  of  these  acorns, 
and  am  not  sorry  that  I  have  now  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  them,  though  it  is  said  that 
they  are  rather  hard  things  for  horses  to  di- 

The  Asturian  mountains  in  this  part  rise  to 
a  considerable  altitude.  They  consist  for  the 
most  part  of  dark  granite,  covered  here  and 
there  with  a  thin  layer  of  earth.  They  ap- 
proach very  near  to  the  sea,  to  which  they 
slope  down  in  broken  ridges,  between  which 
are  deep  and  precipitous  defiles,  each  with  its 
rivulet,  the  tribute  of  the  hills  to  the  salt  flood. 
The  road  traverses  these  defiles.  There  are 
seven  of  them,  which  are  called,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country.  Las  stele  hellulas.  Of 
all  these,  the  most  terrible  is  the  midmost, 
down  which  rolls  an  impetuous  torrent.  At 
the  upper  end  of  it  rises  a  precipitous  wall  of 
rock,  black  as  soot,  to  the  height  of  several 
hundred  yards;  its  top,  as  we  passed,  was 
enveloped  with  a  veil  of  bretima.  From  this 
gorge  branch  off,  on  either  side,  small  dingles 
or  glens,  some  of  them  so  overgrown  with 
trees  and  copsewood,  that  the  eye  is  unable 
to  penetrate  the  obscurity  beyond  a  few  yards. 

"  Fine  places  would  some  of  those  dingles 
prove  for  hermitages,"  said  I,  to  Martin  of 


Rivadeo.  "  Holy  men  might  lead  a  happy 
life  there  on  roots  and  water,  and  pass  many 
years  absorbed  in  heavenly  contemplation, 
without  ever  being  disturbed  by  the  noise  and 
turmoil  of  the  world." 

"  True,"  your  worship,  replied  Martin ; 
"and  perhaps  on  that  very  account  there  are 
no  hermitages  in  the  barrancos  of  the  seven 
bellotas.  Our  hermits  had  little  inclination 
for  roots  and  water,  and  had  no  kind  of  ob- 
jection to  be  occasionally  disturbed  in  their 
meditations.  Vaya  !  I  never  yet  saw  a  her- 
mitage that  was  not  hard  by  some  rich  town 
or  village,  or  was  not  a  regular  resort  for  all 
the  idle  people  in  the  neighbourhood.  Her- 
mits are  not  fond  of  living  in  dingles,  amongst 
wolves  and  foxes;  for  how  in  that  case  could 
they  dispose  of  their  poultry'!  A  hermit  of 
my  acquaintance  left,  when  he  died,  a  fortune 
of  seven  hundred  dollars  to  his  niece,  the 
greatest  part  of  which  he  scraped  up  by  fat- 
tening turkeys." 

At  the  top  of  this  bellota  we  found  a  wretch- 
ed venla,  where  we  refreshed  ourselves,  and 
then  continued  our  journey.  Late  in  the  af- 
ternoon we  cleared  the  last  of  these  difficult 
passes.  The  wind  began  now  to  rise,  bear- 
ing on  its  wings  a  drizzling  rain.  We  passed 
by  Soto  Luino,  and  shaping  our  course  through 
a  wild  but  picturesque  country,  we  found  our- 
selves about  nightfall  at  the  foot  of  a  steep 
hill,  up  which  led  a  narrow  bridle-way,  amidst 
a  grove  of  lofty  trees.  Long  before  we  had 
reached  the  top  it  had  become  quite  dark,  and 
the  rain  had  increased  considerably.  We 
stumbled  along  in  the  obscurity,  leading  our 
horses,  which  were  occasionally  down  on 
their  knees,  owing  to  the  slipperiness  of  the 
path.  At  last  we  accomplished  the  ascent  in 
safety,  and  pushing  briskly  forward,  we  found 
ourselves,  in  about  half  an  hour,  at  the  en- 
trance of  Muros,  a  large  village  situated  just 
on  the  declivity  of  the  farther  side  of  the  hill. 

A  blazing  fire  in  the  posada  soon  dried  our 
wet  garments,  and  in  some  degree  recom- 
pensed us  for  the  fatigues  which  we  had  un- 
dergone in  scrambling  up  the  bellotas.  A 
rather  singular  place  was  this  same  posada 
of  Muros.  It  was  a  large  rambling  house, 
with  a  spacious  kitchen,  or  common  room,  on 
the  ground  floor.  Above  stairs  was  a  large 
dining  apartment,  with  an  immense  oak  table, 
and  furnished  with  cumbrous  leathern  chairs 
with  high  backs,  apparently  three  centuries 
old  at  least.  Communicating  with  this  apart- 
ment was  a  wooden  gallery,  open  to  the  air, 
which  led  to  a  small  chamber,  in  which  I  was 
destined  to  sleep,  and  which  contained  an  old- 
fashioned  tester-bed  with  curtains.  It  was 
just  one  of  those  inns  which  romance  writers 
are  so  fond  of  introducing  in  their  descriptions, 
especially  when  the  scene  of  adventure  lies  in 
Spain,     The  host  was  a  talkative  Asturian. 

The  wind  still  howled,  and  the  rain  de- 
scended in  torrents,  I  sat  before  the  fire  in  a 
very  drowsy  state,  from  which  I  was  pre- 
sently aroused  by  the  conversation  of  the 
host,  "Seiior,"  said  he,  "it  is  now  three 
years  since  I  beheld  foreigners  in  my  house. 


144 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


I  remember  it  was  about  this  time  of  the  year, 
and  just  such  a  night  as  this,  that  two  men  on 
horseback  arrived  here.  What  was  singular, 
they  came  without  any  guide.  Two  more  , 
strange  looking  individuals  I  never  yet  be- 
held with  eye-sight.  I  shall  never  forget 
them.  The  one  was  as  tall  as  a  giant,  with 
much  tawny  moustache,  like  the  coat  of  a  i 
badger,  growing  about  his  mouth.  He  had 
a  huge  ruddy  face,  and  looked  dull  and  stu- 
pid, as  he  no  doubt  was ;  for  when  I  spoke 
to  him,  he  did  not  seem  to  understand,  and 
answered  in  a  jabber,  valgame  Dios !  so  wild 
and  strange  that  I  remained  staring  at  him 
with  mouth  and  eyes  open.  The  other  was 
neither  tall  nor  red-faced,  nor  had  he  hair 
about  his  mouth,  and,  indeed,  he  had  very 
little  upon  his  head.  He  was  very  diminu- 
tive, and  looked  like  a  jorobado ;  but,  valgame 
Dios !  such  eyes,  like  wild  cat's,  so  sharp  and 
full  of  malice.  He  spoke  as  good  Spanish  as 
I  myself  do,  and  yet  he  was  no  Spaniard.  A 
Spaniard  never  looked  like  that  man.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  zamarra,  with  much  silver  and 
embroidery,  and  wore  an  Andalusian  hat,  and 
I  soon  found  that  he  was  master,  and  that  the 
other  was  servant. 

"  Valgame  Dios !  what  an  evil  disposition 
had  that  same  foreign  jorobado ;  and  yet  he 
had  much  grace,  much  humour,  and  said  oc- 
casionally to  me  such  comical  things,  that  I 
was  fit  to  die  of  laughter.  So  he  sat  down  to 
supper  in  the  room  above — and  I  may  as  well 
tell  you  here,  that  he  slept  in  the  same  cham- 
ber where  your  worship  will  sleep  to-night — 
and  his  servant  waited  behind  his  chair. 
Well,  I  had  curiosity,  so  I  sat  myself  down 
at  the  table  too,  without  asking  leave.  Why 
should  I  ■?  I  was  in  my  own  house,  and  an 
Asturian  is  fit  company  for  a  king,  and  is 
often  of  better  blood.  Oh,  what  a  strange 
supper  was  that!  If  the  servant  made  the 
slightest  mistake  in  helping  him,  up  would 
start  the  jorobado,  jump  upon  his  chair,  and 
seizing  the  big  giant  by  the  hair,  would  cuff 
him  on  both  sides  of  his  face,  till  I  was  afraid 
his  teeth  would  have  fallen  out.  The  giant, 
however,  did  not  seem  to  care  about  it  much. 
He  was  used  to  it,  I  suppose.  Valgame  Dios ! 
if  he  had  been  a  Spaniard,  he  would  not  have 
submitted  to  it  so  patiently.  But  what  sur- 
prised me  most  was,  that  after  beating  his  ser- 
vant, the  master  would  sit  down,  and  the  next 
moment  would  begin  conversing  and  laughing 
with  him,  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  and 
the  giant  also  would  laugh  and  converse  with 
his  master  for  all  the  world  as  if  he  had  not 
been  beaten. 

"  You  may  well  suppose,  Seiior,  that  I  un- 
derstood nothing  of  their  discourse,  for  it  was 
all  in  that  strange  unchristian  tongue  in  which 
the  giant  answered  me  when  I  spoke  to  him ; 
the  sound  of  it  is  still  ringing  in  my  ears.  It 
was  nothing  like  other  languages.  Not  like 
Bascuen,  not  like  the  language  in  v/hich  your 
worship  speaks  to  my  namesake  Signor  An- 
tonio here.  Valgame  Dios!  I  can  compare 
it  to  nothing  but  the  sound  a  person  makes 
when  he  rinses  his  mouth  with  water.  There 


is  one  word  which  I  think  I  still  remember, 
for  it  was  continually  proceeding  from  the 
giant's  lips,  but  his  master  never  used  it. 

"  But  the  strangest  part  of  the  story  is  yet 
to  be  told.  The  supper  was  ended,  and  the 
night  was  rather  advanced,  the  rain  still  beat 
against  the  windows,  even  as  it  does  this  mo- 
ment. Suddenly  the  jorobado  pulled  out  his 
watch.  Valgame  Dios,  such  a  watch !  1  will 
tell  you  one  thing,  Seiior,  that  I  could  pur- 
chase all  the  Asturias,  and  Muros  besides, 
with  the  brilliants  which  shone  about  the 
sides  of  that  same  watch :  the  room  wanted 
no  lamp,  I  trow,  so  great  was  the  splendour 
which  they  cast.  So  the  jorobado  looked  at 
his  watch,  and  then  said  to  me,  I  shall  go  to 
rest.  He  then  took  the  lamp  and  went  through 
the  gallery  to  his  room,  followed  by  his  big 
servant.  Well,  Seiior,  I  cleared  away  the 
things,  and  then  waited  below  for  the  ser- 
vant, for  whom  I  had  prepared  a  comfortable 
bed,  close  to  my  own.  Seiior,  I  waited  pa- 
tiently for  an  hour,  till  at  last  my  patience 
was  exhausted,  and  I  ascended  to  the  supper 
apartment,  and  passed  through  the  gallery  till 
I  came  to  the  door  of  the  strange  guest.  Seiior, 
what  do  you  think  I  saw  at  the  door?" 

"  How  should  I  know  ?"  I  replied.  "  His 
riding  boots,  perhaps." 

"  No,  Seiior,  I  did  not  see  his  riding  boots; 
but,  stretched  on  the  floor  with  his  head 
against  the  door,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to 
open  it  without  disturbing  him,  lay  the  big 
servant  fast  asleep,  his  immense  legs  reach- 
ing nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  gallery.  I 
crossed  myself,  as  well  I  might,  for  the  wind 
was  howling  even  as  it  is  now,  and  the  rain 
was  rushing  down  into  the  gallery  in  tor- 
rents ;  yet  there  lay  the  big  servant  fast 
asleep,  without  any  covering,  without  any 
pillow,  not  even  a  log,  stretched  out  before 
his  master's  door. 

"  Senor,  I  got  little  rest  that  night,  for  I 
said  to  myself,  I  have  evil  wizards  in  my 
house,  folks  who  are  not  human.  Once  or 
twice  I  went  up  and  peeped  into  the  gallery, 
but  there  still  lay  the  big  servant  fast  asleep, 
so  I  crossed  myself  and  returned  to  my  bed 
again." 

"  W^ell,"  said  I,  "  and  what  occurred  next 
day?" 

"  Nothing  particular  occurred  next  day : 
the  jorobado  came  down  and  said  comical 
things  to  me  in  good  Spanish;  and  the  big 
servant  came  down,  but  whatever  he  said, 
and  he  did  not  say  much,  I  understood  not, 
for  it  was  in  that  disastrous  jabber.  They 
stayed  with  me  throughout  the  day  till  after 
supper-time,  and  then  the  jorobado  gave  me 
a  gold  ounce,  and  mounting  their  horses,  they 
both  departed  as  strangely  as  they  had  come, 
in  the  d^rk  night,  I  know  not  whither." 

"  Is  that  all  ?"  I  demanded. 

"  No,  Seiior,  it  is  not  all ;  for  I  was  right 
in  supposing  them  evil  brujos :  the  very  next 
day  an  express  arrived,  and  a  great  search 
was  made  after  them,  and  I  was  arrested  for 
having  harboured  them.  This  occurred  just 
after  the  present  wars  had  commenced.    It 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


145 


was  said  they  were  spies  and  emissaries  of  I 
don't  know  what  nation,  and  that  they  had 
been  in  all  parts  of  the  Asturias,  holding  con- 
ferences with  some  of  the  disaffected.  They 
escaped,  however,  and  were  never  heard  of 
more,  though  the  animals  which  they  rode 
were  found  without  their  riders,  wandering 
amongst  the  hills;  they  were  common  po- 
nies, and  were  of  no  value.  As  for  the  brujos, 
it  is  believed  that  they  embarked  in  some 
small  vessel  which  was  lying  concealed  in 
one  of  the  rias  of  the  coast." 


Mi/spJf. — What  was  the  word  which  you 
continually  heard  proceeding  from  the  lips  of 
tlie  big  servant,  and  which  you  think  yoa 
can  remember'? 

Host. — Seiior,  it  is  now  three  years  since  I 
heard  it,  and  at  times  I  can  remember  it  and 
at  others  not;  sometimes  I  have  started  up 
from  my  sleep  repeating  it.  Slay,  Senor,  I 
have  it  now  at  the  point  of  my  tongue :  it  was 
Patusca. 

Myaelf. — Batuschca,  you  mean;  the  men 
were  Russians. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Oviedo— The  ten  Gentlemen — The  Swiss  again — Modest  Request — The  Robbers — Episcopal  Bene- 
volence— The  Cathedral — Jfortrait  of  Feijoo. 


I  MUST  now  take  a  considerable  stride  in  my 
journey,  no  less  than  from  Muros  to  Oviedo, 
contenting  myself  with  observing,  that  we 
proceeded  from  Muros  to  Velez,  and  from 
thence  to  Giyon,  where  our  guide  Martin  bade 
us  farewell,  and  returned  with  his  mare  to 
Rivadeo.  The  honest  fellow  did  not  part 
without  many  expressions  of  regret,  indeed 
he  even  expressed  a  desire  that  I  should  take 
him  and  his  mare  into  my  service;  "for," 
said  he,  "  I  have  a  great  desire  to  run  through 
all  Spain,  and  even  the  world :  and  I  am  sure 
I  shall  never  have  a  better  opportunity  than 
by  attaching  myself  to  your  worship's  skirts." 
On  my  reminding  him,  however,  of  his  wife 
and  family,  for  he  had  both,  he  said,  "True, 
true,  I  had  forgotten  them :  happy  the  guide 
whose  only  wife  and  family  are  a  mare  and 
foal." 

Oviedo  is  about  three  leagues  from  Giyon. 
Antonio  rode  the  horse,  whilst  I  proceeded 
thither  in  a  kind  of  diligence,  which  runs 
daily  between  the  two  towns.  The  road  is 
good,  but  mountainous.  I  arrived  safely  at 
the  capital  of  the  Asturias,  although  at  a 
rather  unpropitious  season,  for  the  din  of  war 
was  at  the  gate,  and  there  was  the  cry  of  the 
captains  and  the  shouting.  Castile,  at  the 
time  of  which  I  am  writing,  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Carlists,  who  had  captured  and  plun- 
dered Vailadolid  in  much  the  same  manner  as 
they  had  Segovia  some  time  before.  They 
were  every  day  expected  to  march  on  Oviedo, 
in  which  case  they  might  perhaps  have  ex- 
perienced some  resistance,  a  considerable  body 
of  troops  being  stationed  there,  who  had 
erected  some  redoubts,  and  strongly  fortified 
several  of  the  convents,  especially  that  of 
Santa  Clara  de  la  Vega.  All  minds  were  in 
a  state  of  feverish  anxiety  and  suspense,  more 
especially  as  no  intelligence  arrived  from  Ma- 
drid, wiiich,  by  the  last  accounts,  was  said  to 
be  occupied  by  the  bands  of  Cabrera  and 
Palillos. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  one  night  I  found 
myself  in  the  ancient  town  of  Oviedo,  in  a 
19 


very  large,   scantily  furnished,  and  remote 
room  in  an  ancient  posada,  formerly  a  palace 
of  the  counts  of  Santa  Cruz.     It  was  past 
ten,  and  the  rain  was  descending  in  torrents. 
I  was  writing,  but  suddenly  ceased  on  hear- 
ing numerous  footsteps  ascending  the  creaking 
stairs  which  led  to  my  apartment.     The  door 
was  flung  open,  and  in  walked  nine  men  of 
tall   stature,    marshalled    by  a  little  hunch- 
backed personage.     They  were  all  muffled  in 
the  long  cloaks  of  Spain,  but  I  instantly  knew 
by  their  demeanour  that  they  were  caballeros, 
or  gentlemen.     They  placed  themselves  in  a 
rank  before  the  table  where  I  was  sitting. 
Suddenly  and  simultaneously  they  all  flung 
back  their  clocks,  and  I  perceived  that  every 
one  bore  a  book  in  his  hand  ;  a  book  which  I 
knew  full  well.     After  a  pause,  which  I  was 
unable  to  break,  for  I  sat  lost  in  astonishment, 
and  almost  conceived  myself  to  be  visited  by 
apparitions,  the  hunchback,  advancing  some- 
what before  the  rest,  said  in  soft,  silvery  tones, 
"  Senor  Cavalier,  was  it  you  who  brought  this 
book  to  the  Asturias  T'     I  now  supposed  that 
they  were  the  civil  authorities  of  the  place 
come  to  take  me  into  custody,  and  rising  from 
my  seat,  I  exclaimed,  "  It  certainly  was  I, 
and  it  is  my  glory  to  have  done  so ;  the  book 
is  the  New  Testament  of  God  :  I  wish  it  was 
in  my  power  to  bring  a  million."    "  I  heartily 
wish  so  too,"  said  the  little  personage  with  a 
sigh.     "  Be  under  no  apprehension.  Sir  Ca- 
valier, these  gentlemen  are  my  friends;  we 
have  just  purchased  these  books  in  the  shop 
where  you  placed  them  for  sale,  and  have 
taken  the  liberty  of  calling  upon  you  to  return 
you   our   thanks  for   the   treasure  you  have 
brought  us.    I  hope  you  can  furnish  us  with  the 
Old  Testament  also."     I  replied  that  1  was 
sorry  to  inform  him   that  at  present  it  was 
entirely  out  of  my  power  to  comply  with  his 
wish,  as  I  had  no  Old  Testaments  in  my  pos- 
session, but  did  not  despair  of  procuring  some 
speedily  from  England.     He  then  asked  me 
a  great  many  questions  concerning  my  biblical 
travels  in  Spain,  and  my  success,  and  the 
N 


146 


THE    BIBLE    IJS    SPAIN. 


views  entertained  by  the  society  with  respect 
to  Spain,  adding  that  he  hoped  we  should 
pay  particular  attention  to  the  Asturias,  which 
he  assured  me  was  the  best  ground  in  the 
peninsula  for  our  labour.  After  about  half  an 
hour's  conversation,  he  suddenly  said,  in  the 
English  language,  "  Good  night,  sir,"  wrap- 
ped his  cloak  around  him,  and  walked  out  as 
he  had  come.  His  companions,  who  had 
hitherto  not  uttered  a  word,  all  repeated, 
"  Good  night,  sir,"  and,  adjusting  their  cloaks, 
followed  him. 

In  order  to  explain  this  strange  scene,  I 
must  state  that  in  the  morning  I  had  visited 
the  petty  bookseller  of  the  place,  Longoria, 
and  having  arranged  preliminaries  with  him, 
I  sent  him  in  the  evening  a  package  of  forty 
Testaments,  all  I  possessed,  with  some  ad- 
vertisements. At  the  time,  he  assured  me 
that,  though  he  was  willing  to  undertake  the 
sale,  there  was,  nevertheless,  not  a  prospect 
of  success,  as  a  whole  month  had  elapsed 
since  he  had  sold  a  book  of  any  description, 
on  account  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  times, 
and  the  poverty  which  pervaded  the  land ;  1 
therefore  felt  much  dispirited.  This  incident, 
however,  admonished  me  not  to  be  cast  down 
when  things  look  gloomiest,  as  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  is  generally  then  most  busy;  that 
men  may  learn  to  perceive,  that  whatever 
good  is  accomplished  is  not  their  work  but 
His. 

Two  or  three  days  after  this  adventure,  I 
■was  once  more  seated  in  my  large  scantily 
furnished  room,  it  was  about  ten  of  a  dark 
melancholy  morning,  and  the  autumnal  rain 
vas  again  falling.  I  had  just  breakfasted, 
and  was  about  to  sit  down  to  my  journal, 
■when  the  door  was  flung  open  and  in  bounded 
Antonio, 

"  Mon  maitre,"  said  he,  quite  breathless, 
"  who  do  you  think  has  arrived  1" 

"  The  pretender,  I  suppose,"  said  I,  in  some 
trepidation  ;  "  if  so,  we  are  prisoners." 

"  Bah,  bah  !"  said  Antonio,  "  it  is  not  the 
pretender,  but  one  worth  twenty  of  him  ;  it  is 
the  Swiss  of  Saint  James." 

"  Benedict  Mol,  the  Swiss!"  said  T.  "What! 
has  he  found  the  treasure  1  But  how  did  he 
come?     How  is  he  dressed  ?" 

"  Mon  maitre,"  said  Antonio,  "  he  came  on 
foot,  if  we  may  judge  by  his  shoes,  through 
which  his  toes  are  sticking ;  and  as  for  his 
dress,  he  is  in  most  villanous  apparel." 

"There  must  be  some  mystery  in  this," 
said  1 ;  "  where  is  he  at  present  V 

"Below,  mon  maitre,"  replied  Antonio; 
•'  he  came  in  quest  of  us.  But  I  no  sooner  saw 
him,  than  I  hurried  away  to  let  you  know." 

In  a  few  minutes  Benedict  Mol  found  his 
way  up  stairs ;  he  was,  as  Antonio  had  re- 
marked, in  most  villanous  apparel,  and  near- 
ly barefooted  ;  his  old  Andalusian  hat  was 
dripping  with  rain. 

"  Och,  lieber  herr,"  said  Benedict,  "  how  j 
rejoiced  I  am  to  see  you  again.     Oh,  the  sight 
of  your  countenance  almost  repays  me  for  all 
the  miseries  I  have  undergone  since  I  parted 
with  you  at  Saint  James." 


Myself. — I  can  scarcely  believe  that  1  real 
!y  see  you  here  at  Oviedo.     What  motive  can 
have  induced  you  to  come  to  such  an  out-of- 
the-way  place  from  such  an  immense  distance  1 

Benedict. — Lieber  herr,  I  will  sit  down  and 
tell  you  all  that  has  befallen  me.  Some  few 
days  after  I  saw  you  last,  the  canonigo  per- 
suaded me  to  go  to  the  captain-general  to  ap- 
ply for  permission  to  disinter  the  schatz,  and 
also  to  crave  assistance.  So  I  saw  the  cap- 
tain-general, who  at  first  received  me  very 
kindly,  asked  me  several  questions,  and  told 
me  to  come  again.  So  1  continued  visiting 
him  till  he  would  see  me  no  longer,  and  do 
what  I  might  I  could  not  obtain  a  glance  of 
him.  The  canon  now  became  impatient,  more 
especially  as  he  had  given  me  a  few  pesetas 
out  of  the  charities  of  the  church.  He  fre- 
quently called  me  a  bribon  and  impostor.  At 
last,  one  morning  I  went  to  him,  and  eaid  that 
I  proposed  to  return  to  Madrid,  in  order  to  lay 
the  matter  before  the  government,  and  request- 
ed that  he  would  give  me  a  certificate  to  the 
effect  that  I  had  performed  a  pilgrimage  to 
Saint  James,  which  I  imagined  would  be  of 
assistance  to  me  upon  the  way,  as  it  would 
enable  me  to  beg  with  some  colour  of  autho- 
rity. He  no  sooner  heard  this  request,  than, 
without  saying  a  word  or  allowing  me  a  mo- 
ment to  put  myself  on  my  defence,  he  sprang 
upon  me  like  a  tiger,  grasping  my  throat  so 
hard  that  I  thought  he  would  have  strangled 
me.  I  am  a  Swiss,  however,  and  a  man  of 
Lucerne,  and  when  I  had  recovered  myself  a 
little,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  flinging  him  off; 
I  then  threatened  him  with  my  staff  and  went 
away.  He  followed  me  to  the  gate  with  the 
most  horrid  curses,  saying  that  if  I  presumed 
to  return  again,  he  would  have  me  thrown  at 
once  into  prison  as  a  thief  and  a  heretic.  So 
I  went  in  quest  of  yourself,  lieber  herr,  but 
they  told  me  that  you  were  departed  for  Co- 
runa  ;  1  then  set  out  for  Coruna  after  you. 

Myself. — And  what  befell  you  on  the  road  ? 

Benedict. — I  will  tell  you  :  about  half-way 
between  Saint  James  and  Coruna,  as  I  was 
walking  along  thinking  of  the  schatz,  I  heard 
a  loud  galloping,  and  looking  around  me  I 
^w  two  men  on  horseback  coining  across  the 
field  with  the  swiftness  of  the  wind,  and 
making  directly  for  me.  Lieber  Gott,  said  I, 
these  are  thieves,  these  are  factious,  and  so 
they  were.  They  came  up  to  me  in  a  mo- 
ment and  bade  me  stand,  so  I  flung  down  my 
staff,  took  off  my  hat  and  saluted  them. 
"  Good  day,  caballeros,"  said  I  to  them. 
"  Good  day,  countryman,"  said  they  to  me, 
and  then  we  stood  staring  at  each  other  for 
more  than  a  minute.  Lieber  himmel,  I  never 
saw  such  robbers ;  so  finely  dressed,  so  well 
armed,  and  mounted  so  bravely  on  two  fiery 
little  hakkas,  that  looked  as  if  they  could 
have  taken  wing  and  flown  up  into  the  clouds ! 
So  we  continued  staring  at  each  other,  till  at 
last  one  asked  me  who  I  was,  whence  I  came, 
and  where  I  was  going.  "  Gentlemen,"  said 
I,  "  I  am  a  Swiss,  I  have  been  to  Saint  James 
to  perform  a  religious  vow,  and  am  now  re- 
turning to  my  own  counir)'."     I  said  not  a 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


147 


word  about  the  treasure,  for  I  was  afraid  that 
they  would  have  shot  me  at  once,  conceiving 
that  I  carried  part  of  it  about  me.  "  Have 
you  any  money'?"  they  demanded.  "  Gentle- 
men," I  replied,  "you  see  how  I  travel  on 
foot,  with  my  shoes  torn  to  pieces  ;  I  should 
not  do  so  if  I  had  money.  I  will  not  deceive 
you,  however,  I  have  a  peseta  and  a  few 
cuartos,"  and  thereupon  I  took  out  what  I  had 
and  offered  it  to  them.  "  Fellow,"  said  they, 
we  are  caballercs  of  Galicia,  and  do  not  take 
pesetas,  much  less  cuarlos.  Of  what  opinion 
are  you  ]  Are  you  for  the  queen  1"  "  No, 
gentlemen,"  said  I,  "I  am  not  for  the  queen, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  allow  me  to  tell  you 
that  I  am  not  for  the  king  either ;  I  know  no- 
thing about  the  matter;  I  am  a  Swiss,  and 
fight  neither  for  nor  against  anybody  unless 
I  am  paid."  This  made  them  laugh,  and  then 
they  questioned  me  about  Saint  James,  and 
the  troops  there,  and  the  captain-general ;  and 
not  to  disoblige  them,  I  told  them  all  I  knew 
and  much  more.  Then  one  of  them,  who 
looked  the  fiercest  and  most  determined,  took 
his  trombone  in  his  hand,  and  pointing  it  at 
me,  said,  "  Had  you  been  a  Spaniard,  we 
would  have  blown  your  head  to  shivers,  for  we 
should  have  thought  you  a  spy,  but  we  see 
you  are  a  foreigner,  and  believe  what  you 
have  said  ;  take,  therefore,  this  peseta  and  go 
your  way,  but  beware  that  you  tell  nobody 
any  thing  about  us,  for  if  you  do,  carracho  !" 
he  then  discharged  his  trombone  just  over  my 
head,  so  that  for  a  moment  I  thought  myself 
shot,  and  then  with  an  awful  shout,  they  both 
galloped  away,  their  horses  leaping  over  the 
barrancos,  as  if  possessed  with  many  devils. 

Myself. — And  what  happened  to  you  on 
your  arrival  at  Coruna  ? 

Benedict. — When  I  arrived  at  Coruiia,  I  in- 
quired after  yourself,  lieber  herr,  and  they  in- 
formed me  that,  only  the  day  before  my  arri- 
val, you  had  departed  for  Oviedo:  and  when 
I  heard  that  my  heart  died  within  me,  for  I 
was  now  at  the  far  end  of  Galicia,  without  a 
friend  to  help  me.  For  a  day  or  two  I  knew 
not  what  to  do ;  at  last  I  determined  to  make 
for  the  frontier  of  France,  passing  through 
Oviedo  in  the  way,  where  I  hoped  to  see  you 
and  ask  counsel  of  you.  So  I  begged  and 
bettled  among  the  Germans  of  Coruna.  I, 
hewever,  got  very  little  from  them,  only  a  few 
cuarts,  less  than  the  thieves  had  given  me  on 
the  road  from  Saint  James,  and  with  these  I 
departed  for  the  Asturias  by  the  way  of  Mon- 
donodo.  Och,  what  a  town  is  that,  full  of 
canons,  priests,  and  pfafTen,  all  of  them  more 
Carlist  than  Carlos  himself. 

One  day  I  went  to  the  bishop's  palace  and 
spoke  to  him,  telling  him  I  was  a  pilgrim 
from  Saint  James,  and  requesting  assistance. 
He  told  me,  however,  that  he  could  not  re- 
lieve me,  and  as  for  my  being  a  pilgrim  from 
Saint  James,  he  was  glad  of  it,  and  hoped 
that  it  would  be  of  service  to  my  soul.  So  I 
left  Mondonedo,  and  got  amongst  the  wild 
mountains,  begging  and  bettling  at  the  door 
of  every  choza  that  I  passed,  telling  all  I  saw 
that  I  was  a  pilpTijr-  from  Saint  James,  and 


showing  my  passport  in  proof  that  I  had  been 
there.  Lieber  herr,  no  person  gave  me  a 
cuart  nor  even  a  piece  of  broa,  and  both  Gal- 
legansand  Asturians  laughed  at  Saint  James 
and  told  me  that  his  name  was  no  longer  a 
passport  in  Spain.  I  should  have  starved  if 
I  had  not  sometimes  plucked  an  ear  or  two 
out  of  the  maize  fields;  I  likewise  gathered 
grapes  Irom  the  parras  and  berries  from  the 
brambles,  and  in  this  manner  I  subsisted  till 
I  arrived  at  the  bellotas,  where  I  slaughtered 
a  stray  kid,  which  I  met,  and  devoured  part 
of  the  flesh  raw,  so  great  was  my  hunger.  It 
made  me,  however,  very  ill,  and  for  two  days 
I  lay  in  a  barranco  half  dead  and  unable  to 
help  myself;  it  was  a  mercy  that  I  was  not  de- 
voured by  the  wolves.  I  then  struck  across 
the  country  for  Oviedo :  how  I  reached  it  I 
do  not  know;  I  was  like  one  walking  in  a 
dream.  Last  night  I  slept  in  an  empty  hog- 
sty  about  two  leagues  from  here,  and  ere  I 
left  it,  I  fell  down  on  my  knees  and  prayed  to 
God  that  I  might  find  you,  lieber  herr,  for 
you  were  my  last  hope. 

Myself. — And  what  do  you  propose  to  do  at 
present  ? 

Benedict. — What  can  I  say,  lieber  herr  1  I 
know  not  what  to  do.  I  will  be  guided  in 
every  thing  by  your  counsel. 

Myself. — I  shall  remain  at  Oviedo  a  few 
days  longer,  during  which  time  you  can  lodge 
at  this  posada,  and  endeavour  to  recover  from 
the  fatigue  of  your  disastrous  journeys;  per- 
haps, before  I  depart,  we  may  hit  on  some 
plan  to  extricate  you  from  your  present  difii- 
culties. 

Oviedo  contains  about  fifteen  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  picturesquely  situated  be- 
tW'Cen  two  mountains,  Morcin  and  Naranco ; 
the  former  is  very  high  and  ragged,  and  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  the  year  is  covered 
with  snow ;  the  sides  of  the  latter  are  culti- 
vated and  planted  with  vines.  The  principal 
ornament  of  the  town  is  the  cathedral,  the 
tower  of  which  is  exceedingly  lofty,  and  is 
perhaps  one  of  the  purest  specimens  of  Gothic 
architecture  at  present  in  existence.  The  in- 
terior of  the  cathedral  is  neat  and  appropriate, 
but  simple  and  unadorned.  I  observed  but 
one  picture,  the  Conversion  of  Saint  Paul. 
One  of  the  chapels  is  a  cemetery,  in  which 
rest  the  bones  of  eleven  Gothic  kings;  to 
whose  souls  be  peace. 

I  bore  a  letter  of  recommendation  from  Co- 
rana  to  a  merchant  of  Oviedo.  This  person 
received  me  very  courteously,  and  generally 
devoted  some  portion  of  every  day  to  showing 
me  the  remarkable  things  of  Oviedo. 

One  morning  he  thus  addressed  me :  "  You 
have  doubtless  heard  of  Feijoo,  the  celebrated 
philosophic  monk  of  the  order  of  Saint  Bene- 
dict, whose  writings  have  so  much  tended  to 
remove  the  popular  fallacies  and  superstitions 
so  long  cherished  in  Spain;  he  is  buried  in 
one  of  our  convents,  where  he  passed  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  his  life.  Come  with  me 
and  I  will  show  you  his  portrait.  Carlos 
Tercero,  our  great  king,  sent  his  own  painter 
from  Madrid  to  execute  it.     It  is  now  in  the 


148 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


possession  cf  a  friend  of  mine,  Don  Ramon 
Valdez,  an  advocate." 

Thereupon,  he  led  me  to  the  honse  of  Don 
Ramon  Valdez,  who  very  politely  exhihited 
the  portrait  of  Feijoo.  It  was  circular  in 
shape,  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  little  brass  frame,  something 
like  the  rim  of  a  barber's  basin.  The  coun- 
tenance was  large  and  massive  but  fine,  the 
eyebrows  knit,  the  eyes  sharp  and  pene- 
trating, nose  aquiline.  On  the  head  w^as  a 
silken  scull-cap ;  the  coUar  of  the  coat  or 
vest  was  just  perceptible.  The  painting  was 
decidedly  good,  and  struck  me  as  being  one 
of  the  very  best  specimens  of  modern  Spanish 
art  which  I  had  hitherto  seen. 

A  day  or  two  after  this,  I  said  to  Benedict 
Mol,  "  to-morrow  I  start  from  hence  for  San- 
tander.  It  is  therefore  high  time  that  you 
decide  upon  some  course,  whether  to  return 
to  Madrid  or  to  make  the  best  of  your  way  to 
France,  and  from  thence  proceed  to  your  own 
country." 

"  Lieber  herr,"  said  Benedict,  "  I  will  fol- 
low you  to  Santander  by  short  journeys,  for 
I  am  unable  to  make  long  ones  amongst,  these 
hills ;  and  when  I  am  there,  peradventure  I 
may  find  some  means  of  passing  into  France. 
It  is  a  great  comfort,  in  my  horrible  journeys, 
to  think  that  I  am  travelling  over  the  ground 


which  yourself  have  trodden,  and  to  hope 
that  I  am  proceeding  to  rejcin  you  once  more. 
This  hope  kept  me  alive  in  the  bellotas,  and 
without  it  I  should  never  have  reached  Ovie- 
do.  I  wall  quit  Spain  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  betake  me  to  Lucerne,  though  it  is  a  hard 
thing  to  leave  the  schatz  behind  me  in  the 
land  of  the  Gallegans." 

Thereupon  I  presented  him  with  a  few 
dollars. 

"A  strange  man  is  this  Benedict,"  said 
Antonio  to  me  next  morning,  as,  accompanied 
by  a  guide,  we  sallied  f:;rth  from  Oviedo ;  "  a 
strange  man,  men  maitre,  is  this  same  Bene- 
dict. A  strange  life  has  he  led,  and  a  strange 
death  he  will  die, — it  is  written  on  his  coun- 
tenance. That  he  will  leave  Spain  I  do  not 
believe,  or  if  he  leave  it,  it  w  ill  be  only  to 
return,  for  he  is  bewitched  about  this  treasure. 
Last  night  he  sent  for  a  sorciere,  whom  he 
consulted  in  my  presence;  and  she  told  him 
that  he  was  doomed  to  possess  it,  but  that 
first  of  all  he  must  cross  water.  She  cau- 
tioned him  likewise  against  an  enemy,  which 
he  supposes  must  be  the  canon  of  Saint 
James.  I  have  often  heard  people  speak  of 
'the  avidity  cf  the  Swiss  for  money,  and  here 
is  a  proof  of  it.  I  would  not  undergo  what 
Benedict  has  suffered  in  these  last  journeys 
of  his,  to  possess  all  the  treasures  in  Spain." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


Departure  from  Oviedo — Villa  Viciosa — The  Young  Man  of  the  Inn — Antonio's  Tale — The  General 
and  his  Family — Woful  Tidings — To-morrow  we  die — San  Vincente — Santander — An  Harangue 
— Flinler  the  Irishman. 


So  we  left  Oviedo  and  directed  our  course 
towards  Santander.  The  man  who  accompa- 
nied us  as  guide,  and  from  whom  I  hired  the 
pony  on  which  I  rode,  had  been  recommended 
to  me  by  my  friend  the  merchant  of  Oviedo. 
He  proved,  however,  a  lazy,  indolent  fellow; 
he  was  generally  loitering  two  or  three  hun- 
dred yards  in  our  rear,  and  instead  of  enliven- 
ing the  way  with  song  and  tale,  like  our  late 
guide,  Martin  of  Rivadeo,  he  scarcely  ever 
opened  his  lips,  save  to  tell  us  not  to  go  so 
fast,  or  that  I  should  burst  his  pony  if  I  spurred 
him  so.  He  was  thievish  withal,  and  though 
he  had  engaged  to  make  the  journey  seco,  that 
is,  to  defray  the  charges  of  himself  and  beast, 
he  contrived  throughout  to  keep  both  at  our 
expense.  When  journeying  in  Spain,  it  is 
invariably  the  cheapest  plan  to  agree  to  main- 
tain the  guide  and  his  horse  or  mule,  for  by 
so  doing  the  hire  is  diminished  at  least  one- 
third,  and  the  bills  upon  the  road  are  seldom 
increased ;  whereas,  in  the  other  case,  he 
pockets  the  difference,  and  yet  goes  shot-free, 
and  at  the  expense  of  the  traveller,  through 
the  connivance  of  the  innkeepers,  who  have  a 
kind  of  fellow-feeling  with  the  guides. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Villa  Vi- 
ciosa, a  small  dirty  town,  at  the  distance  of 


eight  leagues  from  Oviedo:  it  stands  beside  a 
creek  which  communicates  with  the  bay  of 
Biscay.  It  is  sometimes  called  La  Capital 
de  las  Avellanas,  or  the  capital  of  the  Filberts, 
from  the  immense  quantity  of  this  fruit  which 
is  grown  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  the  great- 
est part  of  which  is  exported  to  England. 
As  we  drew  nigh,  we  overtook  numerous  cars 
laden  with  avellanas  proceeding  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  town.  I  was  informed  that  several 
small  English  vessels  were  lying  in  the  har- 
bour. Singular  as  it  may  seem,  however, 
notwithstanding  we  were  in  the  capital  of  the 
Avellanas,  it  was  with  the  utmost  difliculty 
that  I  procured  a  scanty  handful  for  my  des- 
sert, and  of  these  more  than  one-half  were 
decayed.  The  people  of  the  house  informed 
me  that  the  nuts  were  intended  for  exportation, 
and  that  they  never  dreamed  either  of  partak- 
ing of  them  themselves  or  of  offering  them  to 
their  guests. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  day  we 
reached  Colunga,  a  beautiful  village  on  a  ris- 
ing ground,  thickly  planted  with  chestnut 
trees.  It  is  celebrated,  at  least  in  the  Aslu- 
rias,  as  being  the  birth-place  of  Arguelles,  the 
father  of  the  Spanish  constitution. 

As  we  dismounted  at  the  door  of  the  posada, 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


149 


where  we  intended  to  refresh  ourselves,  a  per- 
son who  was  leaning  out  of  an  upper  window 
uttered  an  exclamation  and  disappeared.  We 
were  yet  at  the  door,  when  the  same  individual 
came  running  forth  and  cast  himself  on  the 
neck  of  Antonio.  He  was  a  good-looking 
young  man,  apparently  about  five-and-twenty, 
genteelly  dressed,  with  a  Montero  cap  on  his 
head.  Antonio  looked  at  him  for  a  moment, 
and  then,  with  ?ijh, Monsieur, est  cebien  vnus? 
shook  him  aftectionately  by  the  hand.  The 
stranger  then  motioned  him  to  follow  him,  and 
they  forthwith  proceeded  to  the  room  above. 

Wondering  what  this  could  mean,  I  sat 
down  to  my  morning  repast.  Nearly  an  hour 
elapsed,  and  still  Antonio  did  not  make  his 
appearance;  through  the  boards,  however, 
which  composed  the  ceiling  of  the  kitchen 
where  I  sat,  I  could  hear  the  voices  of  himself 
and  his  acquaintance,  and  thought  that  I  could 
occasionally  distinguish  the  sound  of  broken 
sobs  and  groans:  at  last  there  was  a  long 
pause.  I  became  impatient,  and  was  about 
to  summon  Antonio,  when  he  made  his  appear- 
ance, but  unaccompanied  by  the  stranger. 
"  What,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  singular," 
I  demanded,  "have  you  been  about?  Who 
is  that  man  ]"  "  Mon  maitre,"  said  Antonio, 
"  c''est  un  monsieur  de  ma  cnnnoissance.  With 
your  permission  I  will  now  take  a  mouthful, 
and  as  we  journey  along  I  will  tell  you  all 
that  I  know  of  him." 

"  Monsieur,"  said  Antonio  as  we  rode  out 
of  Colunga,  "you  are  anxious  to  know  the 
history  of  the  gentleman  whom  you  saw  em- 
brace me  at  the  inn.  Know,  mon  maitre, 
that  these  Carlist  and  Christino  wars  have 
been  the  cause  of  much  misery  and  misfortune 
in  this  country;  but  a  being  so  thoroughly 
unfortunate  as  that  poor  young  gentleman  of 
the  inn,  I  do  not  believe  is  to  be  found  in 
Spain ;  and  his  misfortunes  proceed  entirely 
from  the  spirit  of  party  and  faction  which  for 
some  time  past  has  been  so  prevalent. 

"  Mon  maitre,  as  I  have  often  told  you,  I 
have  lived  in  many  houses  and  served  many 
masters;  and  it  chanced  that  ^out  ten  years 
ago  I  served  the  father  of  this  gentleman,  who 
was  then  a  mere  boy.  It  was  a  very  high 
family,  for  Monsieur  the  father  was  a  general 
in  the  army,  and  a  man  of  large  possessions. 
The  family  consisted  of  the  general,  his  lady, 
and  two  sons,  the  youngest  of  whom  is  the 
person  you  have  just  seen ;  the  other  was 
several  years  older.  Pardieu!  I  felt  myself 
very  comfortable  in  that  house,  and  every  in- 
dividual of  the  family  had  all  kind  of  complai- 
sance for  me.  It  is  singular  enough,  that 
though  I  have  been  turned  out  of  so  many  fa- 
milies, I  was  never  turned  out  of  that;  and 
though  I  left  it  thrice,  it  was  of  my  own  free 
will.  I  became  dissatisfied  with  the  other 
servants,  or  with  the  dog  or  the  cat.  The  last 
time  I  left  was  on  account  of  the  quail  which 
was  nung  out  of  the  window  of  madame,  and 
which  waked  me  in  the  morning  with  its  call. 
Eh  bien,  mon  maitre,  things  went  on  in  this 
way  during  the  three  years  that  I  continued 
in  the  family, out  and  in;  at  the  end  of  which 


time  it  was  detefmined  that  the  young  gentle- 
man should  travel,  and  it  was  proposed  that  1 
should  attend  him  as  valet;  this  I  wished 
very  much  to  do.  However,  par  malheur,  I 
was  at  this  time  very  much  dissatisfied  with 
madame  his  mother  about  the  quail,  and  I  in- 
sisted that  before  I  accompanied  him  the  bird 
should  be  slaughtered  for  the  kitchen.  To 
this  madame  would  by  no  means  consent;  and 
even  the  young  gentleman,  who  had  always 
taken  my  part  on  other  occasions,  said  that  I 
was  unreasonable ;  so  I  left  the  house  in  a 
huff,  and  never  entered  it  again. 

"  Eh  bien,  mon  maitre,  the  3'oung  gentle- 
man went  upon  his  travels,  and  continued 
abroad  several  years;  and  from  the  time  of 
his  departure,  until  we  met  him  at  Colunga, 
I  have  not  set  eye  upon,  nor  indeed  heard  of 
him.  I  have  heard  enough,  however,  of  his 
family ;  of  monsieur  the  father,  of  madame, 
and  of  the  brother,  who  was  an  officer  of  caval- 
ry. A  short  time  before  the  troubles,  I  mean 
before  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  monsieur  the 
father  was  appointed  captain-general  of  Cor- 
uria.  Now  monsieur,  though  a  good  master, 
was  rather  a  proud  man,  and  fond  of  discipline, 
and  all  that  kind  of  thing,  and  of  obedience. 
He  was,  moreover,  no  friend  to  the  populace, 
to  the  canaille,  and  he  had  a  particular  aver- 
sion to  the  nationals.  So  when  Ferdinand 
died,  it  was  whispered  about  at  Coruna,  that 
the  general  was  no  liberal,  and  that  he  was  a 
better  friend  to  Carlos  than  Christina.  Eh 
bien,  it  chanced  that  there  was  a  grand  fete, 
or  festival  at  Coruna,  on  the  water;  and  the 
nationals  were  there,  and  the  soldiers.  And 
I  know  not  how  it  befell,  but  there  was  an 
emeute,  and  the  nationals  laid  hands  on  mon- 
sieur the  general,  and  tying  a  rope  round  his 
neck,  flung  him  overboard  from  the  barge  in 
which  he  was,  and  then  dragged  him  astern 
about  the  harbour  until  he  was  drowned.  They 
then  went  to  his  house  and  pillaged  it,  and  so 
ill-treated  madame,  who  at  that  time  happen- 
ed to  be  enceinte,  that  in  a  few  hours  she  ex- 
pired. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  mon  maitre,  when  I  heard 
of  the  misfortune  of  madame  and  the  general, 
you  would  scarcely  believe  it,  but  I  actually 
shed  tears,  and  was  sorry  that  I  had  parted 
with  them  in  unkindness  on  account  of  that 
pernicious  quail. 

"JEA  bien,  mon  maitre,  nous  poursuivrona 
notre  histoire.  The  eldest  son,  as  I  told  you 
before,  was  a  cavalry  officer,  and  a  man  of 
resolution,  and  when  he  heard  of  the  death  of 
his  father  and  mother,  he  vowed  revenge. 
Poor  fellow  !  So  what  does  he  do  but  desert, 
with  two  or  three  discontented  spirits  of  his 
troop,  and  going  to  the  frontier  of  Galicia,  he 
raised  a  small  faction,  and  proclaimed  Don 
Carlos.  For  some  little  time  he  did  consider- 
able damage  to  the  liberals,  burning  and  de- 
stroying their  possessions,  and  putting  to 
death  several  nationals  that  fell  into  his  hands. 
However,  this  did  not  last  long,  his  faction 
was  soon  dispersed,  and  he  himself  taken  and 
hanged,  and  his  head  stuck  on  a  pole. 

"  Nous  sommes  dyd  presque  au  bout.     When 
n2 


150 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


•we  arrived  at  the  inn,  the  young  man  took  me 
above,  as  you  saw,  and  there  for  some  time 
he  could  do  nothing  but  weep  and  sob.  His 
story  is  soon  told  : — he  returned  from  his 
travels,  and  the  first  intelligence  which  await- 
ed him  on  his  arrival  in  Spain  was,  that  his 
father  was  drowned,  his  mother  dead,  and  his 
brother  hanged,  and,  moreover,  all  the  posses- 
sions of  his  family  confiscated.  This  was  not 
all :  wherever  he  went,  he  found  himself  con- 
sidered in  the  light  of  a  factious  and  discon- 
tented person,  and  was  frequently  assailed  by 
the  nationals  with  blows  of  sabres  and  cudgels. 
He  applied  to  his  relations,  and  some  of  these, 
who  were  of  the  Carlist  persuasion,  advised 
him  to  betake  himself  to  the  army  of  Don 
Carlos,  and  the  Pretender  himself,  who  was 
a  friend  of  his  father,  and  remembered  the 
services  of  his  brother,  offered  to  give  him  a 
command  in  his  army.  But,  mon  maitre,  as 
I  told  you  before,  he  was  a  pacific  young 
gentleman,  and  as  mild  as  a  lamb,  and  hated 
the  idea  of  shedding  blood.  He  was,  more- 
over, not  of  the  Carlist  opinion,  for  during  his 
studies  he  had  read  books  written  a  longtime 
ago  by  countrymen  of  mine,  all  about  repub- 
lics and  liberties,  and  the  rights  of  man,  so 
that  he  was  much  more  inclined  to  the  liberal 
than  the  Carlist  system  ;  he  therefore  declined 
the  offer  of  Don  Carlos,  whereupon  all  his  re- 
lations deserted  him,  whilst  the  liberals  hunt- 
ed him  from  one  place  to  another  like  a  wild 
beast.  At  last,  he  sold  some  little  property 
■which  still  remained  to  him,  and  with  the  pro- 
ceeds he  came  to  this  remote  place  of  Colunga, 
where  no  one  knew  him,  and  where  he  has 
been  residing  for  several  months,  in  a  most 
melancholy  manner,  vpith  no  other  amuse- 
ment than  that  which  he  derives  from  a  book 
or  two,  or  occasionally  hunting  a  leveret  with 
his  spaniel. 

"  He  asked  me  for  counsel,  but  I  had  none 
to  give  him,  and  could  only  weep  with  him. 
At  last  he  said,  '  Dear  Antonio,  I  see  there  is 
no  remedy.  You  say  your  master  is  below, 
beg  him,  I  pray  to  stay  till  to-morrow,  and  we 
will  send  for  the  maidens  of  the  neighbourhood , 
and  for  a  violin  and  a  bagpipe,  and  we  will 
dance  and  cast  away  care  for  a  moment.'  And 
then  he  said  something  in  old  Greek,  which  I 
scarcely  understood,  but  which  I  think  was 
equivalent  to,  '  Let  us  eat,  and  drink,  and  be 
merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die  !' 

"Eh  bien,  mon  maitre,  I  told  him  that  you 
were  a  serious  gentleman  whenever  took  any 
amusement,  and  that  you  were  in  a  hurry. 
Whereupon  he  wept  again,  and  embraced  me, 
and  bade  me  farewell.  And  now,  mon  maitre, 
I  have  told  you  the  history  of  the  young  man 
of  the  inn." 

We  slept  at  Ribida  de  Sella,  and  the  next 
day,  at  noon,  arrived  at  Llanes.  Our  route 
lay  between  the  coast  and  an  immense  range 
of  mountains,  which  rose  up  like  huge  ram- 
parts at  about  a  league's  distance  from  the 
sea.  The  ground  over  which  we  passed  was 
tolerably  level,  and  seemingly  well  cultivated. 
There  was  no  lack  of  vines  and  trees,  whilst 
9t  short  intervals  rose  the  cortijos  of  the  pro- 


prietors,— square  stone  buildings  surrounded 
with  an  outer  wall.  Llanes  is  an  old  town, 
formerly  of  considerable  strength.  In  its 
neighbourhood  is  the  convent  of  San  Cilorio, 
one  of  the  largest  monastic  edifices  in  all 
Spain.  It  is  now  deserted,  and  stands  lone 
and  desolate  upon  one  of  the  peninsulas  of 
the  Cantabrian  shore.  Leaving  Llanes,  we 
soon  entered  one  of  the  most  dreary  and  bar- 
ren regions  imaginable,  a  region  of  rock  ^^nd 
stone,  where  neither  grass  nor  trees  were  to 
be  seen.  Night  overtook  us  in  these  places. 
We  wandered  on,  however,  until  we  reached 
a  small  village,  termed  Santo  Colombo.  Here 
we  passed  the  night,  in  the  house  of  a  cara- 
bineer of  the  revenue,  a  tall  athletic  figure 
who  met  us  at  the  gate  armed  with  a  gun. 
He  was  a  Castilian,  and  with  all  that  ceremo- 
nious formality  and  grave  politeness  for  which 
his  countrymen  were  at  one  time  so  celebrated. 
He  chid  his  wife  for  conversing  with  her  hand- 
maid about  the  concerns  of  the  house  before 
us.  "  Barbara,"  said  he,  "  this  is  not  conver- 
sation calculated  to  interest  the  strange  cava- 
liers; hold  your  peace,  or  go  aside  with  the 
muchacha."  In  the  morning  he  refused  any 
remuneration  for  his  hospitality.  "  I  am  a 
caballero,"  said  he,  "even  as  yourselves.  It 
is  not  my  custom  to  admit  people  into  my 
house  for  the  sake  of  lucre.  I  received  you 
because  you  were  benighted  and  the  posada 
distant." 

Rising  early  in  the  morning,  we  pursued 
our  way  through  a  country  equally  stony  and 
dreary  as  that  which  we  had  entered  upon  the 
preceding  day.  In  about  four  hours  we 
reached  San  Vincente,  a  large  dilapidated 
town,  chiefly  inhabited  by  miserable  fisher- 
men. It  retains,  however,  many  remarkable 
relics  of  former  magnificence :  the  bridge, 
which  bestrides  the  broad  and  deep  frith,  on 
which  stands  the  town,  has  no  less  than 
thirty-two  arches,  and  is  built  of  gray  granite. 
It  is  very  ancient,  and  in  some  part  in  so 
ruinous  a  condition  as  to  be  dangerous. 

Leaving  San  Vincente  behind  us,  we  tra- 
velled for  so»e  leagues  on  the  sea-shore, 
crossing  occasionally  a  narrow  inlet  or  frith. 
The  country  at  last  began  to  improve,  and  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Santillana  was  both 
beautiful  and  fertile.  About  a  league  before 
we  reached  the  country  of  Gil  Bias,  we 
passed  through  an  extensive  wood,  in  which 
were  rocks  and  precipices ;  it  was  exactly 
such  a  place  as  that  in  which  the  cave  of  Ro- 
lando w^as  situated,  as  described  in  the  novel. 
This  wood  has  an  evil  name,  and  our  guide 
informed  us  that  robberies  were  occasionally 
committed  in  it.  No  adventure,  however, 
befell  us,  and  we  reached  Santillana  at  about 
six  in  the  evening. 

We  did  not  enter  the  town,  but  halted  at  a 
large  venta  or  posada  at  the  entrance,  before 
which  stood  an  immense  ash  tree.  We  had 
scarcely  housed  ourselves  when  a  tremendous 
storm  of  rain  and  wind  commenced,  accom- 
panied with  thunder  and  lightning,  which 
continued  without  much  interruption  for 
several  hours,  and  the  effects  of  which  were 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


151 


visible  in  our  journey  of  the  following  day, 
the  streams  over  which  we  passed  being 
much  swollen,  and  several  trees  lying  uptorn 
by  the  wayside.  Santillana  contains  four 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  six  short  leagues 
distance  from  tSantander,  where  we  arrived 
early  the  next  day. 

Nothing  could  exhibit  a  stronger  contrast 
to  the  desolate  tracts  and  the  half  ruined 
towns  through  which  we  had  lately  passed, 
than  the  bustle  and  activity  of  Santander, 
which,  though  it  stands  on  the  confines  of 
the  Basque  provinces,  the  stronghold  of  the 
Pretender,  is  almost  the  only  city  in  Spain 
which  has  not  suffered  by  the  Carlist  wars. 
Till  the  close  of  the  last  century  it  was  little 
better  than  an  obscure  fishing  town,  but  it 
has  of  late  years  almost  entirely  engrossed 
the  commerce  of  the  Spanish  transatlantic 
possessions,  especially  of  the  Havannah.  The 
consequence  of  which  has  been,  that  whilst 
Santander  has  rapidly  increased  in  wealth 
and  magnificence,  both  Coruna  and  Cadiz 
have  been  as  rapidly  hastening  to  decay.  At 
present  it  possesses  a  noble  quay,  on  which 
stands  a  line  of  stately  edifices,  far  exceeding 
in  splendour  the  palaces  of  the  aristocracy  at 
Madrid.  These  are  built  in  the  French  style, 
and  are  chiefly  occupied  by  the  merchants. 
The  population  of  Santander  is  estimated  at 
sixty  thousand  souls. 

On  the  day  of  my  arrival  I  dined  at  the 
table  d'hote  of  the  principal  inn,  kept  by  a 
Genoese.  The  company  was  very  miscella- 
neous, French,  Germans,  and  Spaniards,  all 
speaking  in  their  respective  languages,  whilst 
at  the  ends  of  the  table,  confronting  each 
other,  sat  two  Catalan  merchants,  one  of 
whom  weighed  nearly  twenty  stone,  grunting 
across  the  board  in  their  harsh  dialect. 
Long,  however,  before  dinner  was  concluded, 
the  conversation  was  entirely  engrossed,  and 
the  attention  of  all  present  directed  to  an  in- 
dividual who  sat  on  one  side  of  the  bulky 
Catalan.  He  was  a  thin  man  of  about  the 
middle  height,  with  a  remarkable  red  face, 
and  something  in  his  eyes  which,  if  not  a 
squint,  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  it.  He 
was  dressed  in  a  blue  military  frock,  and 
seemed  to  take  much  more  pleasure  in 
haranguing  than  in  the  fare  which  was  set 
before  him.  He  spoke  perfectly  good  Spa- 
nish, yet  his  voice  betrayed  something  of  a 
foreign  accent.  For  a  long  time  he  descanted 
with  immense  volubility  on  war  and  all  its 
circumstances,  freely  criticizing  the  conduct 
ot  the  generals,  both  Carlist  and  Christines, 
in  the  present  struggle,  till  at  last  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Had  I  but  twenty  thousand  men 
allowed  me  by  the  government,  I  would 
bring  the  war  to  a  conclusion  in  six  months." 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,"  said  a  Spaniard  who 
sat  at  the  table,  "  the  curiosity  which  induces 
me  to  request  the  favour  of  your  distinguished 
name." 

"  I  am  Flinter,"  replied  the  individual  in 
the  military  frock ;  "  a  name  which  is  in  the 
mouth  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in 
in.     I  am  Flinter   the   Irishman,  just 


escaped  from  the  Basque  provinces  and  the 
claws  of  Don  Carlos.  On  the  decease  of 
Ferdinand  I  declared  for  Isabella,  esteeming 
it  the  duty  of  every  good  cavalier  and  Irish- 
man in  the  Spanish  service  to  do  so.  You 
have  all  heard  of  my  exploits,  and  permit  me 
to  tell  you  they  would  have  been  yet  more 
glorious  had  not  jealousy  been  at  work  and 
cramped  my  means.  Two  years  ago  I  was 
despatched  to  Estremadura,  to  organize  the 
militias.  The  bands  of  Gomez  and  Cabrera 
entered  the  province  and  spread  devastation 
around.  They  found  me,  however,  at  my 
post ;  and  had  I  been  properly  seconded  by 
those  under  my  command,  the  two  rebels 
would  never  have  returned  to  their  master  to 
boast  of  their  success.  I  stood  behind  my 
intrenchments.  A  man  advanced  and  sum- 
moned us  to  surrender.  '  Who  are  you  V  I 
demanded.  '  I  am  Cabrera,'  he  replied ;  '  and 
I  am  Flinter,'  I  retorted,  flourishing  my  sabre ; 
'  retire  to  your  battalions  or  you  will  forthwith 
die  the  death.'  He  was  awed  and  did  as  I 
commanded.  In  an  hour  we  surrendered.  I 
was  led  a  prisoner  to  the  Basque  provinces ; 
and  the  Carlists  rejoiced  in  the  capture  they 
had  made,  for  the  name  of  Flinter  had  long 
sounded  amongst  the  Carlist  ranks.  I  was 
flung  into  a  loathsome  dungeon,  where  I  re- 
mained twenty  months.  I  was  cold ;  I  was 
naked ;  but  I  did  not  on  that  account  despond, 
my  spirit  was  too  indomitable  for  such  weak- 
ness. My  keeper  at  last  pitied  my  misfor- 
tunes. '  He  said  that  it  grieved  him  to  see 
so  valiant  a  man  perish  in  inglorious  confine- 
ment.' We  laid  a  plan  to  escape  together ; 
disguises  were  provided,  and  we  made  the 
attempt.  We  passed  unobserved  till  we 
arrived  at  the  Carlist  lines  above  Bilbao; 
there  we  were  stopped.  My  presence  of 
mind,  however,  did  not  desert  me.  I  was 
disguised  as  a  carman,  as  a  Catalan,  and  the 
coolness  of  my  answers  deceived  my  interro- 
gators. We  were  permitted  to  pass,  and 
soon  were  safe  within  the  walls  of  Bilbao. 
There  was  an  illumination  that  night  in  the 
town,  for  the  lion  had  burst  his  toils,  Flinter 
had  escaped,  and  was  once  more  returned  to 
reanimate  a  drooping  cause.  I  have  just 
arrived  at  Santander  on  my  way  to  Madrid, 
where  I  intend  to  ask  of  the  government  a 
command,  with  twenty  thousand  men." 

Poor  Flinter!  a  braver  heart,  and  a  mor^ 
gasconading  mouth  were  surely  never  united 
in  the  same  body.  He  proceeded  to  Madrid, 
and  through  the  influence  of  the  British  am- 
bassador, who  was  his  friend,  he  obtained  the 
command  of  a  small  division,  with  which  he 
contrived  to  surprise  and  defeat,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Toledo,  a  body  of  the  Carlists, 
commanded  by  Orejita,  whose  numbers  more 
than  trebled  his  own.  In  reward  for  this  ex- 
ploit he  was  persecuted  by  the  government, 
which,  at  that  time,  was  the  moderado  or 
juste  milieu,  with  the  most  relentless  animo- 
sity; the  prime  minister,  Ofalia,  supporting 
with  all  his  influence  numerous  and  ridicu- 
lous accusations  of  plunder  and  robbery 
I  brought  against  the  too  successful  general  by 


153 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


the  Carlist  canons  of  Toledo.  He  was  like- 
wise charged  with  a  dereliction  of  duty,  in 
having  permitted,  after  the  battle  of  Valde- 
penas,  which  he  likewise  won  in  the  most 
gallant  manner,  the  Carlist  force  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  mines  of  Almaden,  although 
the  government,  who  were  bent  on  his  ruin, 
had  done  all  in  their  power  to  prevent  him 
from  following  up  his  successes  by  denying 
him  the  slightest  supplies  and  reinforcements. 
The  fruits  of  victor}'  thus  wrested  from  him,  his 
hopes  blighted,  a  morbid  melancholy  seized 


I  upon  the  Irishman ;  he  resigned  his  command, 
I  and  in  less  than  ten  months  from  the  period 
!  when  I  saw  him  at  Santander,  afforded  his 
;  dastardl)-  and  malignant  enemies  a  triumph 
j  which  satisfied  even  them,  by  cutting  his  owa 
1  throat  with  a  razor. 

Ardent  spirits  of  foreign  climes  who  hope 
to  distinguish  yourselves  in  the  service  of 
Spain,  and  to  earn  honours  and  rewards,  re- 
member the  fate  of  Columbus,  and  of  another 
as  brave  and  as  ardent — Flinter  ! 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


Departure  from  Santander — The  Night-alarm — The  Black  Pass. 


I  HAD  ordered  two  hundred  Testaments  to 
be  sent  to  Santander  from  Madrid  :  I  found, 
however,  to  my  great  sorrow  that  they  had 
not  arrived,  and  I  supposed  that  they  had 
either  been  seized  on  the  way  by  the  Carlists, 
or  that  my  letter  had  miscarried.  I  then 
thought  of  applying  to  England  for  a  sup 
ply,  but  I  abandoned  the  idea  for  two  rea- 
sons. In  the  first  place,  I  should  have  to 
remain  idly  loitering,  at  least  a  month  before  I 
could  receive  them,  at  a  place  where  every 
article  was  excessively  dear;  and,  secondly, 
I  was  very  unwell,  and  unable  to  procure 
medical  advice  at  Santander.  Ever  since  I 
left  Coruna  I  had  been  afflicted  with  a  terri- 
ble dysentery,  and  latterly  with  an  ophthalmia, 
the  result  of  the  other  malady.  I  therefore 
determined  on  returning  to  Madrid.  To  effect 
this,  however,  seemed  no  very  easy  task.  Par- 
ties of  the  army  of  Don  Carles,  which,  in  a  par- 
tial degree,  had  been  routed  in  Castile,  were 
hovering  about  the  country  through  which  I 
should  have  to  pass,  more  especially  in  that 
part  called  "  The  Mountains,"  so  that  all 
communication  had  ceased  between  Santan- 
der and  the  southern  districts.  Nevertheless, 
I  determined  to  trust  as  usual  in  the  Almighty, 
and  to  risk  the  danger.  I  purchased,  there- 
fore, a  small  horse,  and  sallied  forth  with  An- 
tonio. 

Before  departing,  however,  I  entered  into 
conference  with  the  booksellers  as  to  what 
they  should  do  in  the  event  of  my  finding  an 
opportunity  of  sending  them  a  stock  of  Testa- 
ments from  Madrid  ;  and,  having  arranged 
matters  to  my  satisfaction,  I  committed  my- 
self to  Providence.  I  will  not  dwell  long  on 
this  journey  of  three  hundred  miles.  We 
were  in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  yet,  strange  to 
say,  escaped  without  a  hair  of  our  heads 
being  singed.  Robberies,  murders,  and  all 
kinds  of  atrocities  were  perpetrated  before, 
behind,  and  on  brth  sides  of  us,  but  not  so 
much  as  a  dog  barked  at  us,  though  in  one 
instance  a  plan  had  been  laid  to  intercept  us. 
About  fr\ir  leagues  from  Santander,  whilst  we 
were  baiting  our  horses  at  a  village  hostelry, 
I  saw  a  fellow  run  off  after  having  held  a  | 


!  whispering  conversation  with  a  boy  who  was 
'  dealing  out  barley  to  us.  I  instantly  inquired 
of  the  latter  what  the  man  had  said  to  him, 
but  only  obtained  an  evasive  answer.  It  ap- 
:  peared  afterwards  that  the  conversation  was 
i  about  ourselves.  Two  or  three  leagues  far- 
ther there  was  an  inn  and  village  where  we 
had  proposed  staying,  and  indeed  had  ex- 
pressed our  intention  of  doing  so ;  but  on  ar- 
riving there,  finding  that  the  sun  was  still 
far  from  its  bourn,  I  detennined  to  proceed 
farther,  expecting  to  meet  with  a  resting- 
place  at  the  distance  of  a  league ;  though  I 
was  mistaken,  as  we  found  none  until  we 
reached  Montaneda,  nine  leagues  and  a  half 
from  Santander,  where  was  stationed  a  small 
detachment  of  soldiers.  At  the  dead  of  night, 
we  were  aroused  from  our  sleep  by  a  cry  that 
the  factious  were  not  far  off.  A  messenger 
had  arrived  from  the  alcalde  of  the  village 
where  we  had  previously  intended  staying, 
who  stated  that  a  party  of  Carlists  had  just 
surprised  that  place,  and  were  searching  for 
an  English  spy,  whom  they  supposed  to  be  at 
the  inn.  The  officer  commanding  the  soldiers, 
upon  hearing  this,  not  deeming  his  own  situ- 
ation a  safe  one,  instantly  drew  off  his  men, 
falling  back  on  a  stronger  party  stationed  in  a 
fortified  village  near  at  hand.  As  for  our- 
selves, we  saddled  our  horses  and  continued 
our  way  in  the  dark.  Had  the  Carlists  suc- 
ceeded in  apprehending  me,  1  should  instantly 
have  been  shot,  and  my  body  cast  on  the 
rocks  to  feed  the  vultures  and  wolves.  But 
"  it  was  not  so  written,"  said  Antonio,  who, 
like  many  of  his  countrymen,  was  a  fatalist. 
The  next  night  we  had  another  singular  es- 
cape :  we  had  arrived  near  the  entrance  of  a 
horrible  pass  called  "El  puertode  la  puente 
de  las  tablas,"  or  the  pass  of  the  bridge  of 
planks,  which  wound  through  a  black  and 
frightful  mountain,  on  the  farther  side  of 
which  was  the  town  of  Onas,  where  we  meant 
to  tarry  for  the  night.  The  sun  had  set  about 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Suddenly  a  man,  with 
his  face  covered  with  blood,  rushed  out  of  the 
pass.  "Turn  back,  sir,"  he  said,  "in  the 
name  of  God;   there  are  murderers  in  that 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


153 


pass;  they  have  just  robbed  me  of  my  mule 
and  all  I  possess,  and  I  have  hardly  escaped 
with  life  from  their  hands."  I  scarcely  know 
why,  but  I  made  him  no  answer  and  proceed- 
ed ;  indeed  I  was  so  weary  and  unwell  that 
I  cared  not  what  became  of  me. 

We  entered ;  the  rocks  rose  perpendicularly, 
rio^ht  and  left,  entirely  intercepting  the  scanty 
twilight,  so  that  the  darkness  of  the  grave,  or 
rather  the  blackness  of  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  reigned  around  us,  and  we 
knew  not  where  we  went,  but  trusted  to  the 
instinct  of  the  horses,  who  moved  on  with 
their  heads  close  to  the  ground.  Tlie  only 
sound  which  we  heard  was  the  splash  of  a 
stream  which  tumbled  down  the  pass.    I  ex- 


pected every  moment  to  feel  a  knife  at  my 
throat,  but  "it  was  not  so  written^  We 
threaded  the  pass  without  meeting  a  human 
being,  and  within  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
after  the  time  we  entered  it,  we  found  our- 
selves within  the  posada  of  the  town  of  Onas, 
which  was  filled  with  troops  and  armed  pea- 
sants expecting  an  attack  from  the  grand  Car- 
list  army,  which  was  near  at  hand. 

Well,  we  reached  Burgos  in  safety ;  we 
reached  Valladolid  in  safety;  we  passed  the 
Guadarama  in  safety;  and  were  at  length 
safely  housed  in  Madrid.  People  said  we 
had  been  very  lucky;  Antonio  said,  "It  was 
so  written  ;"  but  I  say.  Glory  be  to  the  Lord 
for  his  mercies  vouchsafed  to  us. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

State  of  affairs  at  Madrid — The  New  Ministry — Pope  of  Rome — The  Bookseller  of  Toleda — Sword 
Blades — Houses  of  Toledo — The  Forlorn  Gipsy — Proceedings  at  Madrid — Another  Servant. 


During  my  journey  in  the  northern  pro- 
vinces of  Spain,  which  occupied  a  considera- 
ble portion  of  the  year  1837, 1  had  accomplished 
but  a  slight  portion  of  what  I  proposed  to  myself 
to  effect  in  the  outset.  Insignificant  are  the  re- 
sults of  man's  labours,  compared  with  the 
swelling  ideas  of  his  presumption  ;  something, 
however,  had  been  effected  by  the  journey, 
which  I  had  just  concluded.  The  New  Tes- 
tament of  Christ  was  now  enjoying  a  quiet 
sale  in  the  principal  towns  of  the  north  ;  and  I 
had  secured  the  friendly  interest  and  co-opera- 
tion of  the  booksellers  of  those  parts,  particu- 
larly of  him  the  most  considerable  of  them  all, 
old  Rey  of  Compostella.  I  had,  moreover, 
disposed  of  a  considerable  number  of  Testa- 
ments with  my  own  hands,  to  private  indivi- 
duals, entirely  of  the  lower  classes,  namely, 
muleteers,  carmen,  contrabandistas,  &c.,  so 
that  upon  the  whole  I  had  abundant  cause  for 
gratitude  and  thanksgiving. 

1  did  not  find  our  affairs  in  a  very  prosper- 
ous state  at  Madrid,  few  copies  having  been 
sold  in  the  booksellers'  shops,  yet  what  could 
be  rationally  expected  during  these  latter 
times  ■?  Don  Carlos,  with  a  large  army  had 
been  at  the  gates;  plunder  and  massacre  had 
been  expected  ;  so  that  people  were  too  much 
occupied  in  forming  plans  to  secure  their  lives 
and  property,  to  give  much  attention  to  reading 
of  any  description. 

The  enemy,  however,  had  now  retired  to  his 
strongholds  in  Alava  and  Guipuscoa,  I  hoped 
that  brighter  days  were  dawning,  and  that  the 
work,  under  my  own  superintendence,  would, 
with  God's  blessing,  prosper  in  the  capital  of 
Spain.  How  far  the  result  corresponded  with 
my  expectations  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel. 

During  my  absence  in  the  north,  a  total 
change  of  ministers  had  occurred.  The  liberal 
party  had  been  ousted  from  the  cabinet,  and  in 
their  place  had  entered  individuals  attached  to 
the  moderado  or  court  parly :  unfortunately, 
20 


however,  for  my  prospects,  they  consisted  of 
persons  with  whom  I  had  no  acquaintance 
whatever,  and  with  whom  my  former  friends, 
Galiano  and  Isturitz,  had  little  or  no  influence. 
These  gentlemen  were  now  regularly  laid  on 
the  shelf,  and  their  political  career  appeared  to 
be  terminated  forever. 

From  the  present  ministry  I  could  expect 
but  little;  they  consisted  of  men,  the  greater 
part  of  whom  had  been  either  courtiers  or  em- 
ployes of  the  deceased  King  Ferdinand,  who 
were  friends  to  absolutism,  and  by  no  means 
inclined  to  do  or  to  favour  any  thing  calculated 
to  give  offence  to  the  court  of  Rome,  which 
they  were  anxious  to  conciliate,  hoping  that 
eventually  it  might  be  induced  to  recognise 
the  young  queen,  not  as  the  constitutional  but 
as  the  absolute  Queen  Isabella  the  Second. 

Such  was  the  party  which  continued  in 
power  throughout  the  remainder  of  my  sojourn 
in  Spain,  and  which  persecuted  me  less  from 
rancour  and  malice  than  from  policy.  It  was  not 
until  the  conclusion  of  the  war  of  the  succes- 
sion that  it  lost  the  ascendancy,  when  it  sank 
to  the  ground  with  its  patroness  the  queen- 
mother,  before  the  dictatorship  of  Espartero. 

The  first  step  which  1  took  after  my  return 
to  Madrid,  towards  circulating  the  Scriptures, 
was  a  very  bold  one.  It  was  neither  more  nor 
less  than  the  establishment  of  a  shop  for  the 
sale  of  Testaments.  This  shop  was  situated 
in  the  Calle  del  Principe,  a  respectable  and 
well  frequented  street  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Square  of  Cervantes.  I  furnished  it  hand- 
somely  with  glass  cases,  and  chandeliers,  and 
procured  an  acute  Gallegan  of  the  name  of 
Pepe  Calzado,  to  superintend  the  business, 
who  gave  me  weekly  a  faithful  account  of  the 
copies  sold. 

"  How  strangely  times  alter,"  said  I,  the  se- 
cond day  subsequent  to  the  opening  of  my  es- 
tablishment, as  I  stood  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  leaning  against  the  wall  with 


154 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


folded  arms,  surveying  my  shop,  on  the  win- 
dows of  which  were  painted  in  large  yellow 
characters,  Despacko  de  la  Snciedad  Biblica  y 
Eslrangero;  "  how  strangely  times  alter;  here 
have  I  been  during  the  last  eight  months  run- 
ning about  old  Popish  Spain,  distributing 
Testaments,  as  agent  of  what  the  Papists  call 
an  heretical  society,  and  have  neither  been 
stoned  nor  burnt ;  and  here  am  I  now  in  the 
capital,  doing  that  which  one  would  think 
were  enough  to  cause  all  the  dead  inquisitors 
and  officials  buried  within  the  circuit  of  the 
walls  to  rise  from  their  graves  and  cry  abomi- 
nation ;  and  yet  no  one  interferes  with  me.  Pope 
of  Rome !  Pope  of  Rome !  look  to  thyself. 
That  shop  may  be  closed ,  but  oh !  what  a  sign 
of  the  times,  that  it  has  been  permitted  to  exist 
for  one  day.  It  appears  to  me,  my  Father,  that 
the  days  of  your  sway  are  numbered  in  Spain ; 
that  you  will  not  be  permitted  much  longer  to 
plunder  her,  to  scoff  at  her,  and  to  scourge  her 
with  scorpions,  as  in  bygone  periods.  See  I 
not  the  hand  on  the  wall?  See  I  not  in 
yonder  letters  a  '  Mene,  mene,  Tekel  Uphar- 
sin'?     Look  to  thyself,  Batuschca." 

And  I  remained  for  two  hours,  leaning 
against  the  wall,  staring  at  the  shop. 

A  short  time  after  the  establishment  of  the 
despacho  at  Madrid,  I  once  more  mounted  the 
saddle,  and,  attended  by  Antonio,  rode  over 
to  Toledo,  for  the  purpose  of  circulating  the 
Scriptures,  sending  beforehand  by  a  mule- 
teer a  cargo  of  one  hundred  Testaments.  I 
instantly  addressed  myself  to  the  principal 
bookseller  of  the  place,  whom,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  his  living  in  a  town  so  abound- 
ing with  canons,  priests,  and  ex-friars,  as 
Toledo,  I  expected  to  find  a  Carlist,  or  a  ser- 
vile at  least.  I  was  never  more  mistaken  in 
my  life:  on  entering  the  shop,  which  was  very 
large  and  commodious,  I  beheld  a  stout 
athletic  man,  dressed  in  a  kind  of  cavalry  uni- 
form, with  a  helmet  on  his  head  and  an  im- 
mense sabre  in  his  hand  :  this  was  the  book- 
seller himself,  who  I  soon  found  was  an  officer 
in  the  national  cavalry.  Upon  learning  who 
I  was,  he  shook  me  heartily  by  the  hand,  and 
said  that  nothing  would  give  him  greater 
pleasure  than  taking  charge  of  the  books, 
which  ke  would  endeavour  to  circulate  to  the 
utmost  of  his  ability. 

"  Will  not  your  doing  so  bring  you  into 
odium  with  the  clergy  ]" 

"  Ca  !"  said  he;  "who  cares'?  lam  rich, 
and  so  was  my  father  before  me.  I  do  not  de- 
pend on  them,  they  cannot  hate  me  more  than 
they  do  already,  for  I  make  no  secret  of  my 
opinions.  I  have  just  returned  from  an  expe- 
dition," said  he  ;  "  my  brother  nationals  and 
myself  have,  for  the  last  three  days,  been  oc- 
cupied in  hunting  down  the  factious  and  thieves 
of  the  neighbourhood  ;  we  have  killed  three 
and  brought  in  several  prisoners.  Who  cares 
for  the  cowardly  priests  ?  I  am  a  liberal, 
Don  .Torge,  and  a  friend  of  your  countryman, 
Flinter.  Many  is  the  Carlist  guerilla-curate 
and  robber  friar  whom  I  have  assisted  him  to 
catch.  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  that  he  has  just 
been  appointed   captain-general  of  Toledo; 


there  will  be  fine  doings  here  when  he  ar 
rives,  Don  Jorge.  We  will  make  the  clergy 
shake  between  us,  I  assure  you." 

Toledo  was  formerly  the  capital  of  Spain. 
Its  population  at  present  is  barely  fifteen 
thousand  souls,  though  in  the  time  of  the 
Romans,  and  also  during  the  middle  ages,  it 
is  said  to  have  amounted  to  between  two  and 
three  hundred  thousand.  It  is  situated  about 
twelve  leagues  (forty  miles)  westward  of 
Madrid,  and  is  built  upon  a  steep  rocky  hill, 
round  which  flows  theTagus,  on  all  sides  but 
the  north.  It  still  possesses  a  great  many 
remarkable  edifices,  notwithstanding  that  it 
has  long  since  fallen  into  decay.  Its  cathe- 
dral is  the  most  magnificent  of  Spain,  and  is 
the  see  of  the  primate.  In  the  tower  of  this 
cathedral  is  the  famous  bell  of  Toledo,  the 
largest  in  the  world  with  the  exception  of  the 
monster  bell  of  Moscow,  which  1  have  also 
seen.  It  weighs  1543  arrobes,  or  37,032 
pounds.  It  has,  however,  a  disagreeable 
sound,  owing  to  a  cleft  in  its  side.  Toledo 
could  once  boast  the  finest  pictures  in  Spain, 
but  many  were  stolen  or  destroyed  by  the 
French  during  the  Peninsular  war,  and  still 
more  have  lately  been  removed  by  order  of 
the  government.  Perhaps  the  most  remark- 
able one  still  remains;  I  allude  to  that  which 
represents  the  burial  of  the  Count  of  Orgaz, 
the  masterpiece  of  Domenico,  the  Greek,  a 
most  extraordinary  genius,  some  of  whose  pro- 
ductions possess  merit  of  a  very  high  order. 
The  picture  in  question  is  in  the  little  parish 
church  of  San  Tome,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
aisle,  on  the  left  side  of  the  altar.  Could  it 
be  purchased,  I  should  say  it  would  be  cheap 
at  five  thousand  pounds. 

Amongst  the  many  remarkable  things 
which  meet  the  eye  of  the  curious  observer  at 
Toledo,  is  the  manufactory  of  arms,  where  are 
wrought  the  swords,  spears,  and  other  weapons 
intended  for  the  army,  with  the  exception  of 
fire-arms,  which  mostly  come  from  abroad. 

In  old  times,  as  is  well  known,  the  sword- 
blades  of  Toledo  were  held  in  great  estima- 
tion, and  were  transmitted  as  merchandise 
throughout  Christendom.  The  present  manu- 
factory, or  fabrica,  as  it  is  called,  is  a  hand- 
some modern  edifice,  situated  without  the  wall 
of  the  city,  on  a  plain  contiguous  to  the  river, 
with  which  it  communicates  by  a  small  canal. 
It  is  said  that  the  water  and  the  sand  of  the 
Tagus  are  essential  for  the  proper  tempering 
of  the  swords.  I  asked  some  of  the  principal 
workmen  whether,  at  the  present  day,  they 
could  manufacture  weapons  of  equal  value  to 
those  of  former  days,  and  whether  the  secret 
had  been  lost. 

"  Ca  !"  said  they,  "  the  swords  of  Toledo 
were  never  so  good  as  those  which  we  are 
daily  making.  It  is  ridiculous  enough  to  see 
strangers  coming  here  to  purchase  old  swords, 
the  greater  part  of  which  are  mere  rubbish, 
and  never  made  at  Toledo,  yet  for  such  they 
will  give  a  large  price,  whilst  they  would 
grudge  two  dollars  for  this  jewel  which  was 
made  but  yesterday  ;"  thereupon  putting  into 
my  heind  a  middle-sized  rapier.    "  Your  wor- 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


155 


ship,"  said  they,  "  seems  to  have  a  strong 
arm,  prove  its  temper  against  the  stone  wall; 
— thrust  boldly  and  fear  not." 

I  have  a  strong  arm  and  dashed  the  point 
with  my  utmost  force  against  the  solid  granite : 
my  arm  was  numbed  to  the  shoulder  from  the 
violence  of  the  concussion,  and  continued  so 
for  nearly  a  week,  but  the  sword  appeared  not 
to  be  at  all  blunted,  or  to  have  suffered  in  any 
respect. 

"  A  better  sword  than  that,"  said  an  an- 
cient workman,  a  native  of  Old  Castile,  "  ne- 
ver transfixed  Moor  out  yonder  on  the  sagra." 

During  my  stay  at  Toledo,  I  lodged  at  the 
Posada  de  los  Caballeros,  which  signifies  the 
inn  of  the  gentlemen,  which  name,  in  some 
respects,  it  certainly  well  deserved,  for  there 
are  many  palaces  far  less  magnificent  than 
this  inn  of  Toledo.  By  magnificence  it  must 
not  be  supposed,  however,  that  I  allude  to 
costliness  of  furniture,  or  any  kind  of  luxury 
which  pervaded  the  culinary  department. 
The  rooms  were  as  empty  as  those  of  Spanish 
inns  generally  are,  and  the  fare,  though  good 
in  its  kind,  was  plain  and  homely ;  but  I 
have  seldom  seen  a  more  imposing  edifice. 
It  was  of  immense  size,  consisting  of  several 
stories,  and  was  built  something  in  the  Moor- 
ish taste,  with  a  quadrangular  court  in  the 
centre,  beneath  which  was  an  immense  algibe 
or  tank,  serving  as  a  reservoir  for  rain-water. 
All  the  houses  in  Toledo  are  supplied  with 
tanks  of  this  description,  into  which  the  wa- 
ters in  the  miny  season  flow  from  the  roofs 
through  pipes.  No  other  water  is  used  for 
drinking:  that  of  the  Tagus  not  being  con- 
sidered salubrious,  is  only  used  for  purposes 
of  cleanliness,  being  conveyed  up  the  steep 
narrow  streets  on  donkeys,  in  large  stone  jars. 
The  city  standing  on  a  rocky  mountain,  has 
no  wells.  As  for  the  rain-water,  it  deposits  a 
sediment  in  the  tank,  and  becomes  very  sweet 
and  potable :  these  tanks  are  cleaned  out 
twice  every  year.  During  the  summer,  at 
which  time  the  heat  in  this  part  of  Spain  is 
intense,  the  families  spend  the  greater  part  of 
the  day  in  the  courts,  which  are  overhung 
with  a  linen  awning,  the  heat  of  the  atmo- 
sphere being  tempered  by  the  coolness  arising 
from  the  tank  below,  which  answers  the  same 
purpose  as  the  fountain  in  the  southern  pro- 
vinces of  Spain. 

I  spent  about  a  week  at  Toledo,  during 
which  time  several  copies  of  the  Testament 
were  disposed  of  in  the  shop  of  my  friend,  the 
bookseller.  Several  priests  took  it  up  from 
the  mostrador  on  which  it  lay,  examined  it, 
but  made  no  remarks ;  none  of  them  purchased 
it.  My  friend  showed  me  through  his  house, 
almost  every  apartment  of  which  was  lined 
from  roof  to  floor  with  books,  many  of  which 
were  highly  valuable.  He  told  me  that  he 
possessed  the  best  collection  in  Spain  of  the 
ancient  literature  of  the  country.  He  was, 
however,  less  proud  of  his  library  than  his 
stud:  finding  that  I  had  some  acquaintance 
with  horses,  his  liking  for  me  and  also  his 
respect  considerably  increased.  "  All  I  have," 
said  he,  "  is  at  your  service ;  I  see  you  are  a 


man  after  my  own  heart.  When  you  are  dis- 
posed to  ride  out  upon  the  sagra,  you  have 
only  to  apply  to  my  groom,  who  will  forth- 
with saddle  you  my  famed  Cordovese  entero; 
I  purchased  him  from  the  stables  at  Aran- 
juez,  when  the  royal  stud  was  broken  up. 
There  is  but  one  other  man  to  whom  I  would 
lend  him,  and  that  man  is  Flinter." 

At  Toledo  I  met  with  a  forlorn  gipsy  wo- 
man and  her  son,  a  lad  of  about  fourteen  years 
of  age ;  she  was  not  a  native  of  the  place,  but 
had  come  from  La  Mancha,  her  husband  hav- 
ing been  cast  into  the  prison  of  Toledo  on  a 
charge  of  mule-stealing;  the  crime  had  been 
proved  against  him,  and  in  a  few  days  he  was 
to  depart  for  Malaga,  with  the  chain  of  galley 
slaves.  He  was  quite  destitute  of  money,  and 
his  wife  was  now  in  Toledo,  earning  a  few 
cuartos  by  telling  fortunes  about  the  streets, 
to  support  him  in  prison.  She  told  me  that  it 
was  her  intention  to  follow  him  to  Malaga, 
where  she  hoped  to  be  able  to  effect  his  es- 
cape. What  an  instance  of  conjugal  affec- 
tion; and  yet  the  affection  here  was  all  on 
one  side,  as  is  too  frequently  the  case !  Her 
husband  was  a  worthless  scoundrel,  who  had 
previously  abandoned  her  and  betaken  him- 
self to  Madrid,  where  he  had  long  lived  in 
concubinage  with  the  notorious  she-thug  Au- 
rora, at  whose  instigation  he  had  committed 
the  robbery  for  which  he  was  now  held  in 
durance.  "  Should  your  husband  escape  from 
Malaga,  in  what  direction  will  he  fly  ]"  I  de- 
manded. 

"To  the  chim  of  the  Corohai,  my  son;  to 
the  land  of  the  Moors,  to  be  a  soldier  of  the 
Moorish  king." 

"And  what  will  become  of  yourself?"  I 
inquired ;  "  think  you  that  he  will  take  you 
with  him  V 

"  He  will  leave  me  on  the  shore,  my  son, 
and  as  soon  as  he  has  crossed  the  black  paw- 
nee, he  will  forget  me  and  never  think  of  me 
more." 

"  And  knowing  his  ingratitude,  why  should 
you  give  yourself  so  much  trouble  about  him  ?" 

"  Am  I  not  his  romi,  my  son,  and  am  I  not 
bound  by  the  law  of  the  Cales  to  assist  him 
to  the  last  T  Should  he  return  from  the  land 
of  the  Corohai  at  the  end  of  a  hundred  years, 
and  should  find  me  alive,  and  should  say,  1 
am  hungry,  little  wife,  go  forth  and  steal  or 
tell  bahi,  I  must  do  it,  for  he  is  the  rom  and  I 
the  romi." 

On  my  return  to  Madrid,  I  found  the  des- 
pacho  still  open:  various  Testaments  had 
been  sold,  though  the  number  was  by  no 
means  considerable :  the  work  had  to  labour 
under  great  disadvantage,  from  the  ignorance 
of  the  people  at  large  with  respect  to  its  tenor 
and  contents.  It  was  no  wonder,  then,  that 
little  interest  was  felt  respecting  it.  To  call, 
however,  public  attention  to  the  despacho,  I 
printed  three  thousand  advertisements  on  pa- 
per, yellow,  blue,  and  crimson,  with  which  I 
almost  covered  the  sides  of  the  streets,  and 
besides  this,  inserted  an  account  of  it  in  all 
the  journals  and  periodicals ;  the  consequence 
was,  that  in  a  short  time  almost  every  person 


ise 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


in  Madrid  was  aware  of  its  existence.  Such 
exertions  in  London  or  Paris  would  probably 
have  ensured  the  sale  of  the  entire  edition  of 
the  New  Testament  within  a  few  days.  In 
Madrid,  however,  the  result  was  not  quite  so 
flattering;  for  after  the  establishment  had 
been  open  an  entire  month,  the  copies  dis- 
posed of  barely  amounted  to  one  hundred. 

These  proceedings  of  mine  did  not  fail  to 
cause  a  great  sensation :  the  priests  and  their 
partisans  were  teeming  with  malice  and  furj', 
which,  for  some  time,  however,  they  thought 
proper  to  exhibit  only  in  words ;  it  being 
their  opinion  that  I  was  favoured  by  the  am- 
bassador and  by  the  British  government;  but 
there  was  no  attempt,  however  atrocious,  that 
might  not  be  expected  from  their  malignity ; 
and  were  it  right  and  seemly  for  me,  the 
most  insignificant  of  worms,  to  make  such  a 
comparison,  I  might  say,  like  Paul  at  Ephe- 
sus,  I  was  fighting  with  wild  beasts. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1837,  my  ser- 
vant Antonio    thus  addressed  me  :    "  Mon 


'  maitre,  it  is  necessary  that  I  leave  you  for  a 
I  time.  Ever  since  we  have  returned  from  our 
]  journeys,  I  have  become  unsettled  and  dis- 
satisfied with  the  house,  the  furniture,  and 
with  Donna  Marequita.  I  have  therefore  en- 
gaged myself  as  cook  in  the  house  of  the 
Count  of  *  *  *  *  *,  where  I  am  to  receive  four 
dollars  per  month  less  than  what  your  wor- 
ship gives  me.  I  am  fond  of  change,  though 
it  be  for  the  worse.  Adieu,  mon  maitre,  may 
you  be  as  well  served  as  you  deserve ;  should 
you  chance,  however,  to  have  any  pressing 
need  de  mes  soins,  send  for  me  without  hesita- 
tion, and  I  will  at  once  give  my  new  master 
warning,  if  I  am  still  with  him,  and  come  to 
you." 

Tims  was  I  deprived  for  a  time  of  tha 
services  of  Antonio.  I  continued  for  a  few 
days  without  a  domestic,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  I  hired  a  certain  Cantabrian  or  Basque, 
a  native  of  the  villeige  of  Hernani,  in  Gui- 
puscoa,  who  was  strongly  recommended  to 
me. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Euscarra — Basque  not  Irish — .Sanscrit  and  Tartar  Dialects — A  vowel  Language — Popular  Poetry— 
The  Basques — Their  Persons — Basque  Women. 


I  NOW  entered  upon  the  year  1838,  perhaps 
(he  most  eventful  of  all  those  which  I  passed 
in  Spain.  The  despacho  still  continued  open, 
with  a  somewhat  increasing  sale.  Having  at 
this  time  little  of  particular  moment  with 
which  to  occupy  myself,  I  committed  to  the 
press  two  works,  which  for  some  time  past 
had  been  in  the  course  of  preparation.  These 
were  the  Gospel  of  Saint  Luke  in  the  Spanish 
gipsy  and  the  Euscarra  languages. 

With  respect  to  the  gipsy  Gospel,  I  have 
little  to  say,  having  already  spoken  of  it  in  a 
former  work,  (The  Zincali :)  it  was  translated 
by  myself,  together  with  the  greater  part  of 
the  New  Testament,  during  my  long  inter- 
course with  the  Spanish  gipsies.  Concem- 
the  Luke  in  Euscarra,  however,  it  will  be  as 
well  to  be  more  particular,  and  to  avail 
myself  of  the  present  opportunity  to  say  a 
few  words  concerning  the  language  in  which 
it  was  written,  and  the  people  for  whom  it 
was  intended. 

The  Euscarra,  then,  is  the  proper  term  for 
a  certain  speech  or  language,  supposed  to 
have  been  at  one  time  prevalent  throughout 
Spain,  but  which  is  at  present  confined  in 
certain  districts,  both  on  the  French  and  Spa- 
nish side  of  the  Pyrenees,  which  are  laved 
by  the  waters  of  the  Cantabrian  Gulf  or  Bay 
of  Biscay.  This  language  is  commonly 
known  as  the  Basque  or  Biscayan,  which 
words  are  mere  modifications  of  the  word 
Euscarra,  the  consonant  B  having  been  pre- 
fixed for  the  sake  of  euphony.  Much  that  is 
vague,  erroneous,  and  hypothetical,  has  been 
said  and  written  concerning  this  tongue.  The 


Basques  assert  that  it  was  not  only  the  origi- 
nal language  of  Spain,  but  also  of  the  world, 
and  that  from  it  all  other  languages  are  de- 
rived ;  but  the  Basques  are  a  very  ignorant 
I  people,  and  know  nothing  of  the  philosophy 
!  of  language.     Very  little  importance,  there- 
I  fore,  need  be  attached  to  any  opinion  of  theirs 
on  such  a  subject.     A  iew  amongst  them, 
however,  who  affect  some  degree  of  learning, 
I  contend  that  it  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a 
j  dialect  of  the  Phenician,  and  that  the  Basques 
are  the  descendants  of  a  Phenician  colony, 
.  established  at  the  foot  of  the  Pyrenees  at  a 
I  very  remote  period.     Of  this  theory,  or  rather 
I  conjecture,  as  it  is  unsubstantiated   by  the 
j  slightest  proof,  it  is  needless  to  take  further 
I  notice  than  to  observe  that,  provided  the  Phe- 
j  nician  language,  as  many  of  the  truly  learned 
•  have  supposed  and  almost  proved,  was  a  dia- 
I  lect  of  the  Hebrew,  or  closely  allied  to  it,  it 
I  were  as   unreasonable   to  suppose  that  the 
Basque  is  derived  from  it,  as  that  the  Kam- 
schatdale  and  Cherokee  are  dialects  of  the 
I  Greek  and  Latin. 

There  is,  however,  another  opinion  with  re- 
spect to  the  Basque  which  deserves  more  espe- 
cial notice,  from  the  circumstance  of  its  being 
extensively  entertained  amongst  the  literati  of 
various  countries  of  Europe,  more  especially 
England.  I  allude  to  the  Celtic  origin  of  this 
tongue,  and  its  close  connexion  with  the  most 
cultivated  of  all  the  Celtic  dialects,  the  Irish. 
People  who  pretend  to  be  well  conversant 
with  the  subject,  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to 
assert,  that  so  little  difference  exists  between 
the  Basque  and  Irish  tongues,  that  individuals 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


157 


of  the  two  nations,  when  they  meet  together, 
find  no  difficulty  in  understanding  each  other, 
with  no  other  means  of  communication  than 
their  respective  languages;  in  a  word,  that 
there  is  scarcely  a  greater  ditTerence  between 
the  two,  than  between  the  French  and  the 
Spanish  Basque.  Such  similarity,  however, 
though  so  strongly  insisted  upon,  by  no 
means  exists  in  fact,  and  perhaps  in  the  whole 
of  Europe  it  would  be  difficult  to  discover 
two  languages  which  exhibit  fewer  points  of 
mutual  resemblance  than  the  Basque  and 
Irish. 

The  Irish,  like  most  other  European  lan- 
guages, is  a  dialect  of  the  Sanscrit,  a  remote 
one,  as  may  well  be  supposed.  The  corner 
of  the  western  world  in  which  it  is  still  pre- 
served being,  of  all  countries  in  Europe,  the 
most  distant  from  the  proper  home  of  the  pa- 
rent tongue.  It  is  still,  however,  a  dialect  of 
that  venerable  and  most  original  speech,  not 
so  closely  resembling  it,  it  is  true,  as  the 
English,  Danish,  and  those  which  belong  to 
what  is  called  the  Gothic  family,  and  far  less 
than  those  of  the  Sclavonian;  for  the  nearer 
we  approach  to  the  east,  in  equal  degree  the 
assimilation  of  languages  to  this  parent  stock 
becomes  more  clear  and  distinct;  but  still  a 
dialect,  agreeing  with  the  Sanscrit  in  struc- 
ture, in  the  arrangement  of  words,  and  in 
many  instances  in  the  words  themselves, 
which,  however  modified,  may  still  be  re- 
cognised as  Sanscrit.  But  what  is  the 
Basque,  and  to  what  family  does  it  properly 
pertain  ] 

To  two  great  Asiatic  languages,  all  the 
dialects  spoken  at  present  in  Europe  may  be 
traced.  These  two,  if  not  now  spoken,  still 
exist  in  books,  and  are,  moreover,  the  lan- 
guages of  two  of  the  principal  religions  of  the 
east.  I  allude  to  the  Tibetian  and  Sanscrit — 
the  sacred  languages  of  the  followers  of 
Buddh  and  Bramah.  These  tongues,  though 
they  possess  many  words  in  common,  which 
is  easily  to  be  accounted  for  by  their  close 
proximity,  are  properly  distinct,  being  widely 
different  in  structure.  In  what  this  difference 
consists,  I  have  neither  time  nor  inclination 
to  state;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  Celtic, 
Gothic,  and  Sclavonian  dialects  in  Europe 
belong  to  the  Sanscrit  family,  even  as  in  the 
east  the  Persian,  and  to  a  less  degree  the 
Arabic,  Hebrew,  &c.;  whilst  to  the  Tibetian 
or  Tartar  family  in  Asia  pertain  the  Mand- 
chou  and  Mongolian,  the  Calmuc  and  the 
Turkish  of  the  Caspian  Sea;  and  in  Europe, 
the  Hungarian  and  the  Basque  partially. 

Indeed  this  latter  language  is  a  strange 
anomaly,  so  that  upon  the  whole  it  is  less 
difficult  to  say  what  it  is  not  than  what  it  is. 
It  abounds  with  Sanscrit  words  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  its  surface  seems  strewn  with  them. 
Yet  would  it  be  wrong  to  term  it  a  Sanscrit 
dialect,  for  in  the  collocation  of  these  words 
the  Tartar  form  is  most  decidedly  observable. 
A  considerable  proportion  of  Tartar  words  is 
likewise  to  be  found  in  this  language,  though 
perhaps  not  in  equal  number  to  the  terms  de- 
rived from  the  Sanscrit.    Of  these  Tartar 


etymons  I  shall  at  present  content  myself  with 
citing  one,  tiiough,  if  necessary,  it  were  easy 
to  adduce  hundreds.  This  word  is  Jauna,  or 
as  it  is  pronounced  Khauna,  a  word  in  con- 
stant use  amongst  the  Basques,  and  which  is 
the  Khan  of  the  Mongols  and  Mandchous, 
and  of  the  same  signification — Lord. 

Having  closely  examined  the  subject  in  all 
its  various  bearings,  and  having  weighed 
what  is  to  be  said  on  one  side  against  what 
is  to  be  advanced  on  the  other,  I  am  inclined 
to  rank  the  Basque  rather  amongst  the  Tartar 
than  the  Sanscrit  dialects.  Whoever  should 
have  an  opportunity  of  comparing  the  enun- 
ciation of  the  Basques  and  Tartars  would, 
from  that  alone,  even  if  he  understood  them 
not,  come  to  the  conclusion  that  their  respec- 
tive languages  were  formed  on  the  same  prin- 
ciples. In  both  occur  periods  seemingly  in- 
terminable, during  which  the  voice  gradually 
ascends  to  a  climax,  and  then  gradually  sinks 
down. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  surprising  number  of 
Sanscrit  words  contained  in  the  Basque  lan- 
guage, specimens  of  some  of  which  will  be 
found  below.  It  is  remarkable  enough,  that 
in  the  greater  part  of  the  derivations  from  the 
Sanscrit,  the  Basque  has  dropped  the  initial 
consonant  so  that  the  word  commences  with 
a  vowel.  The  Basque,  indeed,  may  be  said 
to  be  almost  a  vowel  language ;  the  number 
of  consonants  employed  being  comparatively 
few :  perhaps  eight  words  out  of  ten  com- 
mence and  terminate  with  a  vowel,  owing  to 
which  it  is  a  language  to  the  highest  degree 
soft  and  melodious,  far  excelling  in  this  re- 
spect any  other  language  in  Europe,  not  even 
excepting  the  Italian. 

Here  follow  a  few  specimens  of  Basque 
words,  with  the  Sanscrit  roots  in  juxtaposi- 
tion;— 

RAROTTE.  SANSCRIT. 

Wine. 

Night. 

Eye. 

Bird. 

Dog. 

Queen. 

To  see. 

Three. 

To  eat. 

City. 

Far. 

Such  is  the  tongue  in  which  I  brought  out 
Saint  Luke's  Gospel  at  Madrid,  The  trans- 
lation I  procured  originally  from  a  Basque 
physician  of  the  name  of  Oteiza.  Previous 
to  being  sent  to  the  press,  the  version  had  lain 
nearly  two  years  in  my  possession,  during 
which  time,  and  particularly  during  my  tra- 
vels, I  lost  no  opportunity  of  submitting  it  to 
the  inspection  of  those  who  were  considered 
competent  scholars  in  the  Euscarra.  It  did 
not  entirely  please  me;  but  it  was  in  vain  to 
seek  for  a  better  translation. 

In  my  early  youth  I  had  obtained  a  slight 
acquaintance  with  the  Euscarra,  as  it  exists 
in  books.  This  acquaintance  I  considerably 
increased  during  my  stay  in  Spain;  and  by 
occasionally  mingling  with  Basques,  was 
O 


BASQUE. 

SANSCRIT. 

Ardoa 

Sandhilna 

Arrafsa 

Ratri 

Beguia 

Akshi 

Choria 

Chiria 

Chacurra 

Cucura 

Erreguina 

Rani 

Icusi 

Iksha 

Iru 

Treya 

Jan  (Khan) 

Khana 

Uria 

Puri 

Urruti 

Dura 

158 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


enabled  to  understand  the  spoken  language  to 
a  certain  extent,  and  even  to  speak  it,  but  al- 
ways with  considerable  hesitation ;  for  to 
speak  Basque,  even  tolerably,  it  is  necessary 
to  have  lived  in  the  country  from  a  very  early 
period.  So  great  are  the  difficulties  attending 
It,  and  so  strange  are  its  peculiarities,  that  it 
is  very  rare  to  find  a  foreigner  possessed  of  any 
considerable  skill  in  the  oral  language ;  and 
the  Spaniards  consider  the  obstacles  so  formi- 
dable, that  they  have  a  proverb  to  the  effect 
that  Satan  once  lived  seven  years  in  Biscay, 
and  then  departed,  finding  himself  unable 
either  to  understand  or  to  make  himself  un- 
derstood. 

There  are  few  inducements  to  the  study  of 
this  language.  In  the  first  place,  the  acquisi- 
tion of  it  is  by  no  means  necessary  even  to 
those  who  reside  in  the  countries  where  it  is 
spoken;  the  Spanish  being  generally  under- 
stood throughout  the  Basque  provinces  per- 
taining to  Spain,  and  the  French  in  those 
pertaining  to  France. 

In  the  second  place,  neither  dialect  is  in 
possession  of  any  peculiar  literature  capable 
of  repaying  the  toil  of  the  student.  There 
are  various  books  extant  both  in  French  and 
Spanish  Basque,  but  these  consist  entirely  of 
Popish  devotion,  and  are  for  the  most  part 
translations. 

It  will,  perhaps,  here  be  asked  whether  the 
Basques  do  not  possess  popular  poetry  like 
most  other  nations,  however  small  and  incon- 
siderable. They  have  certainly  no  lack  of 
songs,  ballads,  and  stanzas,  but  of  a  character 
by  no  means  entitled  to  the  appellation  of 
poetry.  I  have  noted  down  from  recitation  a 
considerable  portion  of  what  they  call  their 
poetry,  but  the  only  tolerable  specimen  of 
Terse  which  I  ever  discovered  amongst  them 
was  the  following  stanza,  which,  after  all,  is 
not  entitled  to  very  high  praise : — 

"  Ichasoa  urac  aundi, 
Estu  ondoric  agueri — 
Pasaco  ninsaqueni  andic 
Maitea  icustea  gatic." 

t.  e. "  The  waters  of  the  sea  are  vast,  and  their 
bottom  cannot  be  seen ;  but  over  them  I  will 
pass,  that  I  may  behold  my  love." 

The  Basques  are  a  singing  rather  than  a 
poetical  people.  Notwithstanding  the  facility 
with  which  their  tongue  lends  itself  to  the 
composition  of  verse,  they  have  never  prod  uced 
among  them  a  poet  with  the  slightest  preten- 
sions to  reputation ;  but  their  voices  are  sin- 
gularly sweet,  and  they  are  known  to  excel  in 
musical  composition.  It  is  the  opinion  of  a 
certain  author,  the  Abbe  D'llharce,  who  has 
written  about  them,  that  they  derived  the 
name  Catilabri,  by  which  they  were  known 
to  the  Romans,  from  Khantor-ber,  signifying 
sweet  singers.  They  possess  much  music  of 
their  own,  some  of  which  is  said  to  be  exceed- 
ingly ancient.  Of  this  music  specimens  were 
published  atDonostian  (San  Sebastian)  in  the 
year  1826,  edited  by  a  certain  Juan  Ignacio 
Iztueta.  These  consist  of  wild  and  thrilling 
marches,  to  the  sound  of  which  it  is  believed 
that  the  ancient  Basques  were  in  the  habit  of 


descending  from  their  mountains  to  combat 
with  the  Romans,  and  subsequently  with  the 
Moors.  Whilst  listening  to  them,  it  is  easy  to 
suppose  oneself  in  the  close  vicinity  of  some 
desperate  encounter.  We  seem  to  hear  the 
charge  of  cavalry  on  the  sounding  plain,  the 
clash  of  swords,  and  the  rushing  of  men  down 
the  gorges  of  hills.  This  music  is  accompa- 
nied with  words,  but  such  words!  Nothinor 
can  be  imagined  more  stupid,  commonplace, 
and  uninteresting.  So  far  from  being  mar- 
tial, they  relate  to  every-day  incidents,  and 
appear  to  have  no  connection  whatever  with 
the  music.  They  are  evidently  of  modern 
date. 

In  person  the  Basques  are  of  the  middle 
size,  and  are  active  and  athletic.  They  are 
j  in  general  of  fair  complexion  and  handsome 
features,  and  in  appearance  bear  no  slight  re- 
semblance to  certain  Tartar  tribes  of  the  Cau- 
casus. Their  bravery  is  unquestionable,  and 
they  are  considered  as  the  best  soldiery  be- 
longing to  the  Spanish  crown;  a  fact  highly 
corroborative  of  the  supposition  that  they  are 
of  Tartar  origin,  ihe  Tartars  being  of  all  races 
the  most  warlike,  and  amongst  whom  the 
most  remarkable  conquerors  have  been  pro- 
duced. They  are  faithful  and  honest,  and 
capable  of  much  disinterested  attachment ; 
kind  and  hospitable  to  strangers ;  all  of  which 
points  are  far  from  being  at  variance  with  the 
Tartar  character.  But  they  are  somewhat 
dull,  and  their  capacities  are  by  no  means  of 
a  high  order,  and  in  these  respects  they  again 
resemble  the  Tartars. 

No  people  on  earth  are  prouder  than  the 
Basques,  but  theirs  is  a  kind  of  republican 
pride.  They  have  no  nobility  amongst  them, 
and  no  one  will  acknowledge  a  superior.  The 
poorest  carman  is  as  proud  as  the  governor  of 
Tolosa.  "  He  is  more  powerful  than  I,"  be 
will  say,  "but  I  am  of  as  good  blood;  perhaps 
hereafter  I  may  become  a  governor  myself." 
They  abhor  servitude,  at  least  out  of  their  own 
country;  and  though  circumstances  frequently 
oblige  them  to  seek  masters,  it  is  very  rare  to 
find  them  filling  the  places  of  common  domes- 
tics; they  are  stewards,  secretaries,  account- 
ants, &c.  True  it  is,  that  it  was  my  own 
fortune  to  obtain  a  Basque  domestic;  but  then 
he  always  treated  me  more  as  an  equal  than 
a  master,  would  sit  down  in  my  presence,  give 
me  his  advice  unasked,  and  enter  into  conver- 
sation with  me  at  all  times  and  occasions. 
Did  I  check  him?  Certainly  not!  for  in  that 
case  he  would  have  left  me,  and  a  more  faith- 
ful creature  I  never  knew.  His  fate  was  a 
mournful  one,  as  will  appear  in  the  sequel. 

I  have  said  that  the  Basques  abhor  servi- 
tude, and  are  rarely  to  be  found  serving  as 
domestics  amongst  the  Spaniards.  I  allude, 
however,  merely  to  the  males.  The  females, 
on  the  contrary,  have  no  objection  whatever 
to  enter  houses  as  servants.  Women,  indeed, 
amongst  the  Basques  are  not  looked  upon 
with  all  the  esteem  which  they  deserve,  and 
are  considered  as  fitted  for  little  else  than  to 
perform  menial  offices,  even  as  in  the  East, 
where  they  are  viewed  in  the  light  of  servants 


THE   BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


15d 


•and  slaves.  The  Basque  females  differ  wide- 
ly in  character  from  the  men;  they  are  quick 
and  vivacious,  and  have  in  general  much  more 


talent.     They  are  famous  for  their  skill  as   partment, 


cooks,  and  in  most  respectable  houses  of  Ma- 
drid a  Biscayan  female  may  be  found  in  the 
kitchen,  queen  supreme  of  the  culinary  de- 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

The  Prohibition — Gospel  Persecuted — Charge  of  Sorcery — Ofalia. 


About  the  middle  of  January  a  swoop  was 
made  upon  me  by  my  enemies,  in  the  shape 
of  a  peremptory  prohibition  from  the  political 
governor  of  Madrid  to  sell  any  more  New 
Testaments.  This  measure  by  no  means  took 
me  by  surprise,  as  1  had  for  some  time  pre- 
viously been  expecting^  something  of  the  kind, 
on  account  of  the  political  sentiments  of  the 
ministers  then  in  power.  I  forthwith  paid  a 
visit  to  Sir  George  Viliiers,  informing  him  of 
what  had  occurred.  He  promised  to  do  all 
he  could  to  cause  the  prohibition  to  be  with- 
drawn. Unfortunately  at  this  time  he  had 
not  much  influence,  having  opposed  with  all 
his  might  the  entrance  of  the  moderado  mi- 
nistry to  power,  and  the  nomination  of  Ofalia 
to  the  presidency  of  the  cabinet.  I,  however, 
never  lost  confidence  in  the  Almighty,  in 
whose  cause  I  was  engaged. 

Matters  were  going  on  very  well  before 
this  check.  Th-';  demand  for  Testaments  was 
becoming  considerable,  so  much  so,  that  the 
clergy  were  alarmed,  and  this  step  was  the 
consequence.  But  they  had  previously  re- 
course to  another,  well  worthy  of  them,  they 
attempted  to  act  upon  my  fears.  One  of  the 
ruffians  of  Madrid,  called  Manolos,  came  up 
to  ine  one  night,  in  a  dark  street,  and  told  me 
that  unless  I  discontinued  selling  my  "  Jewish 
books,"  I  should  have  a  knife  "  nailed  in  my 
heart ;"  but  I  told  him  to  go  home,  say  his 
prayers,  and  tell  his  employers  that  I  pitied 
them ;  whereupon  he  turned  away  with  an 
oath.  A  few  days  after,  I  received  an  order 
to  send  two  copies  of  the  Testament  to  the 
office  of  the  political  governor,  with  which  I 
complied,  and  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours 
an  alguazil  arrived  at  the  shop  with  a  notice 
prohibiting  the  farther  sale  of  the  work. 

One  circumstance  rejoiced  me.  Singular  as 
it  may  appear,  the  authorities  took  no  mea- 
sures to  cause  my  little  despacho  to  be  closed, 
and  1  received  no  prohibition  respecting  the 
sale  of  any  work  but  the  New  Testament, 
and  as  the  Gospel  of  Saint  Luke,  in  Rom- 
many  and  Basque,  would  witrliin  a  short  time 
be  ready  for  delivery,  I  hoped  to  carry  on  mat- 
ters in  a  small  way  till  better  times  should 
arrive. 

I  was  advised  to  erase  from  the  shop  win- 
dows the  words,  "Despacho  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society."  This,  however, 
I  refused  to  do.  Those  words  had  tended 
very  much  to  call  attention,  which  was  my 
grand  object.  Had  I  attempted  to  conduct 
things  in  £in  underhand  manner,  I  should,  at 


the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking,  scarcely 
have  sold  thirty  copies  in  Madrid,  instead  of 
nearly  three  hundred.  People  who  know  me 
not,  may  be  disposed  to  call  me  rash  ;  but  I 
am  far  from  being  so,  as  I  never  adopt  a  ven- 
turous course  when  any  other  is  open  to  me. 
I  am  not,  however,  a  person  to  be  terrified  by 
any  danger,  when  I  see  that  braving  it  is  the 
only  way  to  achieve  an  object. 

The  booksellers  were  unwilling  to  sell  my 
work,  so  I  was  compelled  to  establish  a  shop 
of  my  own.  Every  shop  in  Madrid  has  a  name. 
What  name  could  I  give  it  but  the  true  one  ? 
I  was  not  ashamed  of  my  cause  or  my  colours. 
I  hoisted  them,  and  fought  beneath  them  not 
without  success. 

The  priestly  party  in  Madrid,  in  the  mean 
time,  spared  no  effort  to  vilify  me.  They  start- 
ed a  publication,  called  "The  Friend  of  the 
Christian  Religion,"  in  which  a  stupid  but 
furious  attack  upon  me  appeared,  which  I, 
however,  treated  with  the  contempt  it  deserved . 
But  not  satisfied  with  this,  they  endeavoured 
to  incite  the  populace  against  me,  by  telling 
them  that  I  was  a  sorcerer,  and  a  companion  of 
gipsies  and  witches,  and  their  agents  ever 
called  me  so  in  the  streets.  That  I  was  an 
associate  of  gipsies  and  fortune-tellers  1  do 
not  deny.  Why  should  I  be  ashamed  of  their 
company  when  my  Master  mingled  with  pub- 
licans and  thieves?  Many  of  the  gipsy  race 
came  frequently  to  visit  me  ;  received  instruc- 
tion, and  heard  parts  of  the  Gospel  read  to 
them  in  their  own  language,  and  when  they 
were  hungry  and  faint,  I  gave  them  to  eat  and 
drink.  This  might  be  deemed  sorcery  in 
Spain,  but  I  am  not  without  hope  that  it  will 
be  otherwise  estimated  in  England,  and  had  I 
perished  at  this  period,!  think  there  are  some 
who  would  have  been  disposed  to  acknow- 
ledge that  I  had  not  lived  altogether  in  vain, 
(always  as  an  instrument  of  the  "Most 
Highest,")  having  been  permitted  to  turn  one 
of  the  most  valuable  books  of  God  into  the 
speech  of  the  most  degraded  of  his  crea* 
tures. 

In  the  mean  time  I  endeavoured  to  enter 
into  negotiations  with  the  ministry,  for  the 
purpose  of  obt  lining  permission  to  sell  the 
New  Testament  in  Madrid,  and  the  nullifica- 
tion of  the  prohibition.  I  experienced,  how- 
ever, great  opposition,  which  I  was  unable 
to  surmount.  Several  of  the  ultra-popish 
bishops,  then  resident  in  Madrid,  had  de- 
nounced the  Bible,  the  Bible  Society,  and 
myself.    Nevertheless,  notwithstanding  their 


160 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


powerful  and  united  efforts,  they  were  unable 
to  effect  their  principal  object,  namely,  my 
expulsion  from  Madrid  and  Spain.  The 
Count  Ofaiia,  notwithstanding  he  had  per- 
mitted himself  to  be  made  the  instrument,  to 
a  certain  extent,  of  these  people,  would  not 
consent  to  be  pushed  to  such  a  length. 
Throughout  this  affair,  I  cannot  find  words 
sufficiently  strong  to  do  justice  to  the  zeal  and 
interest  which  Sir  George  Villiers  displayed 
in  the  cause  of  the  Testament.  He  had 
various  interviews  with  Ofaiia  on  the  subject, 
and  in  these  he  expressed  to  him  his  sense  of 
the  injustice  and  tyranny  which  had  been 
practised  in  this  instance  towards  his  coun- 
tryman. 

Ofaiia  had  been  moved  by  these  remon- 
strances, and  more  than  once  promised  to  do 
all  in  his  power  to  oblige  Sir  George ;  but 
then  the  bishops  again  beset  him,  and  play- 
ing upon  his  political  if  not  religious  fears, 
prevented  him  from  acting  a  just,  honest,  and 
honourable  part.  At  the  desire  of  Sir  George 
Villiers,  I  drew  up  a  brief  account  of  the 
Bible  Society,  and  an  exposition  of  its  views, 
especially  in  respect  to  Spain,  which  he  pre- 
sented with  his  own  hand  to  the  Count.  I 
shall  not  trouble  the  reader  by  inserting  this 
memorial,  but  content  myself  with  observing, 
that  I  made  no  attempts  to  flatter  and  cajole, 
but  expressed  myself  honestly  and  frankly, 
as  a  Christian  ought.  Ofaiia,  on  reading  it, 
said,  "  What  a  pity  that  this  is  a  Protestant 
society,  and  that  all  its  members  are  not 
Catholics." 

A  few  days  subsequently,  to  my  great 
astonishment,  he  sent  a  message  to  me  by  a 
friend,  requesting  that  I  would  send  him  a 
copy  of  my  gipsy  Gospel.  I  may  as  well 
here  state,  that  the  fame  of  this  work,  though 


not  yet  published,  had  already  spread  like 
wildtire  through  Madrid,  and  every  person 
was  passionately  eager  to  possess  a  copy ; 
indeed,  several  grandees  of  Spain  sent  mes- 
sages with  similar  requests,  all  of  which  I 
however  denied.  I  instantly  resolved  to  take 
advantage  of  this  overture  on  the  part  of 
Count  Ofaiia,  and  to  call  on  him  myself.  I 
therefore  caused  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  to  be 
handsomely  bound,  and  proceeding  to  the 
palace,  was  instantly  admitted  to  him.  He 
was  a  dusky,  diminutive  person,  between 
fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age,  with  false  hair 
and  teeth,  but  exceedingly  gentlemanly  man- 
ners. He  received  me  with  great  affability, 
and  thanked  me  for  my  present;  but  on  my 
proceeding  to  speak  of  the  New  Testament, 
he  told  me  that  the  subject  was  surrounded 
with  difficulties,  and  that  the  great  body  of 
the  clergy  had  taken  up  the  matter  against 
me;  he  conjured  me,  however,  to  be  patient 
and  peaceable,  in  which  case  he  said  he 
would  endeavour  to  devise  some  plan  to 
satisfy  me.  Amongst  other  things,  he  ob- 
served that  the  bishops  hated  a  sectarian 
more  than  an  Atheist.  Whereupon  I  replied, 
that  like  the  Pharisees  of  old,  they  cared 
more  for  the  gold  of  the  temple  than  the  tem- 
ple itself.  Throughout  the  whole  of  our  in- 
terview, he  evidently  laboured  under  great 
fear,  and  was  continually  looking  behind  and 
around  him,  seemingly  in  dread  of  being 
overheard,  which  brought  to  my  mind  an  ex- 
pression of  a  friend  of  mine,  that  if  there  be 
any  truth  in  metempsychosis,  the  soul  of 
Count  Ofaiia  must  have  originally  belonged 
to  a  mouse.  We  parted  in  kindness,  and  I 
went  away,  wondering  by  what  strange 
chance  this  poor  man  had  become  prime 
minister  of  a  country  like  Spain. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


The  Two  Gospels— The  Alguazil — The  Warrant— The  Good  Maria — The  Arrest— Sent  to  Prison 
— Reflections — The  Reception— The  Prison  Room — Redress  Demanded. 


At  length  the  Gospel  of  Saint  Luke  in  the 
gipsy  language  was  in  a  state  of  readiness. 
I  therefore  deposited  a  certain  number  of 
copies  in  the  despacho,  and  announced  them 
for  sale.  The  Basque,  which  was  by  this 
time  also  printed,  was  likewise  advertised. 
For  this  last  work  there  was  little  demand. 
Not  so,  however,  for  the  gipsy  Luke,  of 
which  I  could  have  easily  disposed  of  the 
whole  edition  in  less  than  a  fortnight.  Long, 
however,  before  this  period  had  expired,  the 
clergy  were  up  in  arms.  "  Sorcery  !"  said 
one  bishop.  "  There  is  more  in  this  than  we 
can  dive  into,"  exclaimed  a  second.  "  He 
will  convert  all  Spain  by  means  of  the  gipsy 
language,"  cried  a  third.  And  then  came  the 
usual  chorus  on  such  occasions,  of  Que  infa- 
inia !  Que  picardia!  At  last,  having  con- 
sulted together,  away  they  hunied  to  their 


tool  the  corregidor,  or,  according  to  the  mo- 
dem term,  the  gefe  politico  of  Madrid.  I 
have  forgotten  the  name  of  this  worthy,  of 
whom  1  had  myself  no  personal  knowledge 
whatever.  Judging  from  his  actions,  how- 
ever, and  from  common  report,  I  should  say 
that  he  was  a  stupid  wrong-headed  creature, 
savage  withal — a  melange  of  borrico,  mule, 
and  wolf.  Having  an  inveterate  antipathy 
to  all  foreigners,  he  lent  a  willing  ear  to  the 
complaint  of  my  accusers,  and  forthwith 
gave  orders  to  ihake  a  seizure  of  all  the 
copies  of  the  gipsy  Gospel  which  could  be 
found  in  the  despacho.  The  consequence  was, 
that  a  numerous  body  of  alguazils  directed 
their  steps  to  the  Calle  del  principe;  some 
thirty  copies  of  the  book  in  question  were 
pounced  upon,  and  about  the  same  number 
of  Saint  Luke  ia  Basque.    With  this  spoil 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


1«1 


these  satellites  returned  in  triumph  to  the 
getatura  politica,  where  they  divided  the 
copies  of  the  gipsy  volume  amongst  them- 
selves, selling  subsequently  the  greater  num- 
ber at  a  large  price,  the  book  being  in  the 
greatest  demand,  and  thus  becoming  un- 
intentionally agents  of  an  heretical  so- 
ciety. But  every  one  must  live  by  his 
trade,  say  these  people,  and  they  lose  no  op- 
portunity of  making  their  words  good,  by 
disposing  to  the  best  advantage  of  any  booty 
which  falls  into  their  hands.  As  no  person 
cared  about  the  Basque  Gospel,  it  was 
safely  stowed  away,  with  other  unmarket- 
able captures,  in  the  warehouses  of  the 
office. 

The  gipsy  Gospels  had  now  been  seized,  at 
least  as  many  as  were  exposed  for  sale  in  the 
despacho.  The  corregidor  and  his  friends,  how- 
ever, were  of  opinion  that  many  more  might 
ke  obtained  by  means  of  a  little  management. 
Fellows,  therefore,  hangers-on  of  the  police 
office,  were  daily  despatched  to  the  shop  in 
all  kinds  of  disguises,  inquiring,  with  great 
seeming  anxiety,  for  "  gipsy  books,"  and 
offering  high  prices  for  copies.  They,  how- 
ever, returned  to  their  employers  empty- 
handed.  My  Gallegan  was  on  his  guard, 
informing  all  who  made  inquiries  that  books 
of  no  description  would  be  sold  at  the  esta- 
blishment for  the  present.  Which  was  in 
truth  the  case,  as  I  had  given  him  particular 
orders  to  sell  no  more  under  any  pretence 
whatever. 

I  got  no  credit,  however,  for  my  frank 
dealing.  The  corregidor  and  his  confederates 
could  not  persuade  themselves  but  that  by 
some  means  mysterious  and  unknown  to 
them,  I  was  daily  selling  hundreds  of  these 
gipsy  books,  which  were  to  revolutionize  the 
country,  and  annihilate  the  power  of  the 
Father  of  Rome.  A  plan  was  therefore  re- 
solved upon,  by  means  of  which  they  hoped 
to  have  an  opportunity  of  placing  me  in  a 
position  which  would  incapacitate  me  for 
some  time  from  taking  any  active  measures 
to  circulate  the  Scriptures,  either  in  gipsy  or 
in  any  other  language. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  first  of  May, 
if  I  forget  not,  that  an  unknown  individual 
made  his  appearance  in  my  apartment  as  I 
was  seated  at  breakfast;  he  was  a  mean- 
looking  fellow,  about  the  middle  stature,  with 
a  countenance  on  which  knave  was  written 
in  legible  characters.  The  hostess  ushered 
him  in,  and  then  withdrew.  I  did  not  like 
the  appearance  of  my  visitor,  but  assuming 
some  degree  of  courtesy.  I  requested  him  to 
sit  down,  and  demanded  his  business.  "I 
come  from  his  excellency  the  political  chief 
of  Madrid,"  he  replied,  "and  my  business  is 
to  inform  you  that  his  excellency  is  perfectly 
aware  of  your  proceedings,  and  is  at  any  time 
able  to  prove  that  you  are  still  disposing  of  in 
secret  those  evil  books  which  you  have  been 
forbidden  to  sell."  "Is  he  so,"  I  replied; 
"  pray  let  him  do  so  forthwith,  but  what  need 
of  giving  me  information ■?"  "Perhaps," 
continued  the  fellow,  "  you  think  his  worship 
21 


has  no  witnesses ;  know,  however,  that  he 

has    many,    and    respectable    ones    too." 

j  "  Doubtless,"  I  replied,  "  and  from  the  re- 

■  spectability  of  your  own  appearance,  you  are 

:  perhaps  one  of  them.     But  you  are  occupying 

;  my  time  unprofitabl)^ ;  begone,  therefore,  and 

j  tell  whoever  sent  you  that  I  have  by  no  means 

a  high  opinion  of  his  wisdom."     "  I  shall  go 

I  when  I  please,"  retorted  the  fellow ;   "  do 

I  you  know  to  whom  you  are  speaking  ?     Are 

you  aware  that  if  I  think  fit  I  can  search  your 

apartment,  yes  even  below  your  bed  1    What 

have  we  here,"  he  continued,  and  commenced 

with  his  stick  poking  a  heap  of  papers  which 

lay  upon  a  chair ;  "  what  have  we  here ;  are 

these  also  papers  of  the  gipsies  ]"  I  instantly 

determined  upon  submitting  no  longer  to  this 

behaviour,  and  taking  the  fellow  by  the  arm, 

led  him  out  of  the  apartment,  and  then  still 

holding   him,   conducted    him  down    stairs 

from  the  third  floor  in  which  I  lived,  into  the 

street,  looking  him  steadfastly  in  the  face  the 

whole  while. 

The  fellow  had  left  his  sombrero  on  the 
table,  which  I  despatched  to  him  by  the 
landlady,  who  delivered  it  into  his  hand  as 
he  stood  in  the  street  staring  with  distended 
eyes  at  the  balcony  of  my  apartment. 

"A  trampa  has  been  laid  for  you,  Don 
Jorge,"  said  Maria  Diaz,  when  she  had  reas- 
cended  from  the  street ;  "  that  corchete  came 
here  with  no  other  intention  than  to  have  a 
dispute  with  you;  out  of  every  word  you 
have  said  he  will  make  a  long  history,  as  is 
the  custom  with  these  people:  indeed  he 
said,  as  I  handed  him  his  hat,  that  ere  twenty- 
four  hours  were  over,  you  should  see  the 
inside  of  the  prison  of  Madrid." 

In  effect,  during  the  course  of  the  morning, 
I  was  told  that  a  warrant  had  been  issued  for 
my  apprehension.  The  prospect  of  incarce- 
ration, however,  did  not  fill  me  with  much 
dismay.  An  adventurous  life  and  inveterate 
habits  of  wandering  having  long  familiarized 
me  to  situations  of  every  kind,  so  much  so  as 
to  feel  myself  quite  as  comfortable  in  a  prison 
as  in  the  gilded  chambers  of  palaces ;  indeed 
more  so,  as  in  the  former  place  I  can  always 
add  to  my  store  of  useful  information,  where- 
as in  the  latter  ennui  frequently  assails  me. 
I  had,  moreover,  been  thinking  for  some  time 
past  of  paying  a  visit  to  the  prison,  partly  in 
the  hope  of  being  able  to  say  a  few  words  of 
Christian  instruction  to  the  criminals,  and 
partly  with  the  view  of  making  certain  inves- 
tigations in  the  robber  language  of  Spain,  a 
subject  about  which  I  had  long  felt  much 
curiosity ;  indeed,  I  had  already  made  appli- 
cation for  admittance  into  the  Carcel  de  la 
Corte,  but  had  found  the  matter  surrounded 
with  difficulties,  as  ray  friend  Ofalia  would 
have  said.  I  rather  rejoiced  then  in  the  op- 
portunity which  was  now  about  to  present 
itself  of  entering  the  prison,  not  in  the  cha- 
racter of  a  visitor  for  an  hour,  but  as  a  martyr, 
and  as  one  suffering  in  the  holy  cause  of  reli- 
gion. I  was  determined,  however,  to  disap- 
point my  enemies  for  that  day  at  least,  and  to 
render  null  the  threat  of  the  alguazil,  that 
o2 


162 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


I  should  be  imprisoned  within  twenty-four 
hours.  I  therefore  took  up  my  abode  for  the 
rest  of  the  day  in  a  celebrated  French  tavern 
in  the  Calle  del  Caballero  de  Gracia,  which, 
as  it  was  one  of  the  most  fashionable  and 
public  places  in  Madrid,  I  naturally  con- 
cluded was  one  of  the  last  where  the  corregi- 
dor  would  think  of  seeking  me. 

About  ten  at  night,  Maria  Diaz,  to  whom  I 
had  communicated  the  place  of  my  retreat, 
arrived  with  her  son,  Juan  Lopez.  "  O  senor," 
said  she  on  seeing  me,  "  they  are  already  in 
quest  of  you  ;  the  alcalde  of  the  barrio,  with 
a  large  coraitiva  of  alguazils  and  such  like 
people,  have  just  been  at  our  house,  with  a 
■warrant  for  your  imprisonment  from  the  cor- 
regidor.  They  searched  the  whole  house, 
and  were  much  disappointed  at  not  finding 
you.  Wo  is  me,  what  will  they  do  when 
they  catch  you  ]"  "  Be  under  no  apprehen- 
sions, good  Maria,"  said  I ;  "  )'0u  forget  that 
I  am  an  Englishman,  and  so  it  seems  does 
the  corregidor.  Whenever  he  catches  me, 
depend  upon  it,  he  will  be  glad  enough  to  let 
me  go.  For  the  present,  however,  we  will 
permit  him  to  follow  his  own  course,  for  the 
spirit  of  folly  seems  to  have  seized  him." 

I  slept  at  the  tavern,  and  in  the  forenoon 
of  the  following  day  repaired  to  the  embassy, 
■where  I  had  an  interview  with  Sir  George,  to 
whom  I  related  every  circumstance  of  the 
affair.  He  said  that  he  could  scarcely  believe 
that  the  corregidor  entertained  any  serious 
intentions  of  imprisoning  me :  in  the  first 
place,  because  I  had  committed  no  offence ; 
and  in  the  second,  because  I  was  not  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  that  functionary,  but  under 
that  of  the  captain-general,  who  was  alone 
empowered  to  decide  upon  matters  which  re- 
late to  foreigners,  and  before  whom  I  must  be 
brought  in  the  presence  of  the  consul  of  my 
nation.  "  However,"  said  he,  "  there  is  no 
knowing  to  what  lengths  these  jacks  in  office 
may  go.  I  therefore  advise  you,  if  you  are 
under  any  apprehension,  to  remain  as  my 
gTiest  at  the  embassy  for  a  few  days,  for  here 
you  will  be  quite  safe."  I  assured  him  that 
I  was  under  no  apprehension  whatever,  hav- 
ing long  been  accustomed  to  adventures  of 
this  kind.  From  the  apartment  of  Sir  George 
I  proceeded  to  that  of  the  first  secretary  of 
embassy,  Mr.  Southern,  with  whom  I  entered 
into  conversation.  I  had  scarcely  been  there 
a  minute  when  my  servant  Francisco  rushed 
in  much  out  of  breath,  and  in  violent  agita- 
tion, exclaiming  in  Basque,  "  Niri  jauna 
{master  mine),  the  alguaziloac  and  the  cor- 
chetoac,  and  all  the  other  lapurrac  (thieves) 
are  again  at  the  house.  They  seem  half 
mad,  and  not  being  able  to  find  you,  are 
searching  your  papers,  thinking,  I  suppose, 
that  you  are  hid  among  them."  Mr.  South- 
ern, here  interrupting  him,  inquired  of  me 
what  all  this  meant.  Whereupon  I  told  him, 
saying,  at  the  same  time,  that  it  was  my  in- 
tention to  proceed  at  once  to  my  lodgings. 
"  But  perhaps  these  fellows  will  arrest  you," 
said  Mr.  S.,  "before  we  can  interfere."     "I 


must  take  my  chance  as  to  that,"  1  replied, 
and  presently  afterwards  departed. 

Ere,  however,  I  had  reached  the  middle  of 
the  street  of  Alcala,  two  fellows  came  up  to 
me,  and  telling  me  that  I  was  their  prisoner, 
commanded  me  to  follow  them  to  the  office 
of  the  corregidor.  They  were  in  fact  algua- 
zils, who,  suspecting  that  I  might  enter  or 
come  out  of  the  embassy,  had  stationed  them- 
selves in  the  neighbourhood.  I  instantly 
turned  round  to  Francisco,  and  told  him  in 
Basque  to  return  to  the  embassy,  and  to  re- 
late there  to  the  secretary  what  had  just 
occurred.  The  poor  fellow  set  off  like  light- 
ning, turning  half  round,  however,  to  shake 
his  fist,  and  to  vent  a  Basque  execration  at 
ihe  two  lapurrac,  as  he  called  the  alguazils. 

They  conducted  me  to  the  gefatura  or  office 
of  the  corregidor,  where  they  ushered  me  into 
a  large  room,  and  motioned  me  to  sit  down 
on  a  wooden  bench.  They  then  stationed 
themselves  on  each  side  of  me :  there  were 
at  least  twenty  people  in  the  apartment  be- 
sides ourselves,  evidently  from  their  appear- 
ance officials  of  the  establishment.  They 
were  all  well  dressed,  for  the  most  part  in 
the  French  fashion,  in  round  hats,  coats,  and 
pantaloons;  and  yet  they  looked  what  in 
reality  they  were,  Spanish  alguazils,  spies, 
and  informers ;  and  Gil  Bias,  could  he  have 
waked  from  his  sleep  of  two  centuries,  would, 
notwithstanding  the  change  of  fashion,  have 
had  no  difficulty  in  recognising:  them.  They 
glanced  at  me  as  they  stood  lounging  about 
the  room ;  then  gathered  themselves  together 
in  a  circle  and  began  conversing  in  whispers. 
I  heard  one  of  them  say,  "  he  understands  the 
seven  gipsy  jargons."  Then  presently  an- 
other, evidently  from  his  language  an  Anda- 
lusian,  said  "£s  viuy  diesfro,  and  can  ride  a 
horse  and  dart  a  knife  full  as  well  as  if  he 
came  from  my  own  country."  Thereiipon 
they  all  turned  round  and  regarded  me  with 
a  species  of  interest,  evidently  mingled  with 
respect,  which  most  assuredly  they  would 
not  have  exhibited  had  they  conceived  that  I 
was  merely  an  honest  man  bearing  witness 
in  a  righteous  cause. 

I  waited  patiently  on  the  bench  at  least  one 
hour,  expecting  every  moment  to  be  summoned 
before  my  lord  the  corregidor.  I  suppose, 
however,  that  I  was  not  deemed  worthy  of 
being  permitted  to  see  so  exalted  a  personage ; 
for  at  the  end  of  that  time,  an  elderly  man, 
one  however  evidently  of  the  alguazil  genus, 
came  into  the  room  and  advanced  directly 
towards  me.  "  Stand  up,"  said  he.  I  obeyed. 
"  What  is  your  name  1"  he  demanded.  I  told 
him.  "  Then,"  he  replied,  exhibiting  a  paper 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  "  Seiior,  it  is  the 
will  of  his  excellency  the  corregidor  that  you 
be  forthwith  sent  to  prison." 

He  looked  at  me  steadfastly  as  he  spoke, 
perhaps  expectin?  that  I  should  sink  into  the 
earth  at  the  formidable  name  of  prison;  I 
however  only  smiled.  He  then  delivered  the 
paper,  which  I  suppose  was  the  warrant  for 
my  committal,  into  the  hand  of  one  of  my 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


16^ 


two  captors,  and  obeying  a  sign  which  they  I  curved  much  after  the  fashion  of  the  letter  S. 
made,  J  followed  them.  No  weasel  ever  appeared  lanker,  and  he  look- 

I  subsequently  learned  that  the  secretary  ed  as  if  a  breath  of  air  would  have  been  suf- 
of  legation,  Mr.  Southern,  had  been  despatch-  ficient  to  blow  him  away  ;  his  face  might  cer- 
ed  by  Sir  George,  as  soon  as  the  latter  had  |  tainly  have  been  called  handsome,  had  it  not 


obtained  information  of  my  arrest,  and  had 
been  waiting  at  the  office  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  that  I  was  there.  He  had 
demanded  an  audience  of  the  corregidor,  in 
which  he  had  intended  to  have  remonstrated 
with  him,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the  danger 
to  which  he  was  subjecting  himself  by  the 
rash  step  which  he  was  taking.  The  sullen 
functionary,  however,  had  refused  to  see  him, 
thinking,  perhaps,  that  to  listen  to  reason 
•would  be  a  dereliction  of  dignity :  by  this 
conduct,  however,  he  most  effectually  served 
nie,  as  no  person,  after  such  a  specimen  of 
uncalled-for  insolence,  felt  disposed  to  ques- 
tion the  violence  and  injustice  which  had 
been  practised  towards  me. 

The  alguazils  conducted  me  across  the 
Plaza  Mayor  to  the  Carcel  de  la  Corte,  or 
prison  of  the  court,  as  it  is  called.  Whilst 
going  across  the  square,  I  remembered  that 
this  was  the  place  where,  in  "  the  good  old 
times,"  the  Inquisition  of  Spain  was  in  the 
habit  of  holding  its  solemn  Jutos  dafc,  and  I 
cast  my  eye  to  the  balcony  of  the  city  hall, 
where  at  the  most  solemn  of  them  all,  the 
last  of  the  Austrian  line  in  Spain  sat,  and 
after  some  thirty  heretics,  of  both  sexes,  had 
been  burnt  by  fours  and  by  fives,  wiped  his 
face,  perspiring  with  heat,  and  black  with 
smoke,  and  calmly  inquired,  "  No  hay  mas  V 
for  which  exemplary  proof  of  patience  he  was 
much  applauded  by  his  priests  and  confessors, 
who  subsequently  poisoned  him.  "  And  here 
am  I,"  thought  I,  "  who  have  done  more  to 
wound  Popery  than  all  the  poor  Christian 
martyrs  that  ever  suffered  in  this  accursed 
square,  merely  sent  to  prison,  from  which  I 
am  sure  to  be  liberated  in  a  few  days,  with 
credit  and  applause.  Pope  of  Rome !  I  be- 
lieve you  to  be  as  malicious  as  ever,  but  you 
are  sadly  deficient  in  power.  You  are  be- 
come paralytic,  Batuschca,  and  your  club  has 
degenerated  to  a  crutch." 

We  arrived  at  the  prison,  which  stands  in 
a  narrow  street  not  far  from  the  great  square. 
We  entered  a  dusky  passage,  at  the  end  of 
which  was  a  wicket  door.  My  conductors 
knocked,  a  fierce  visage  peered  through  the 
wicket;  there  was  an  exchange  of  words,  and 
in  a  few  moments  I  found  myself  within  the 
prison  of  Madrid,  in  a  kind  of  corridor  which 
overlooked  at  a  considerable  altitude  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a  court,  from  which  arose  a  hub- 
bub of  voices,  and  occasionally  wild  shouts 
and  cries.  Within  the  corridor,  which  served 
as  a  kind  of  office,  were  several  people;  one 
of  them  sat  behind  a  desk,  and  to  him  the  al- 
guazils went  up,  and  after  discoursing  with 
him  for  some  time  in  low  tones,  delivered  the 
warrant  into  his  hands.  He  perused  it  with 
attention,  then  rising  he  advanced  to  me. 
What  a  figure  !  He  was  about  forty  years  of 
age,  and  his  height  might  have  amounted  to 
some  six  feet  two  inches,  had  he  not  been 


been    for    its   extraordinary   and    portentous 
meagreness  ;  his  nose  was  like  an  eagle's  bill, 
his  teeth  white  as  ivory,  his  eyes  black,  (Oh 
how  black !)  and  fraught  with  a  strange  ex- 
pression, his  skin  was  dark,  and  the  hair  of 
ins  head  like  the  plumage  of  the  raven.     A 
deep  quiet  smile  dwelt  continually  on  his 
features;  but  with  all  the  quiet  it  was  a  cruel 
smile,  such  a  one  as  would  have  graced  the 
countenance  of  a  Nero.     "  Mais  en  revanche 
personne  n'etoil  plus  honnfite."     "  Caballero," 
said  he,  "  allow  me  to  introduce  myself  to  you 
as  the  alcayde  of  this  prison.     1  perceive  by 
this  paper  that  I  am  to  have  the  honour  of 
your  company  for  a  time,  a  short  time,  doubt- 
less, beneath  this  roof;  I  hope  you  will  banish 
every  apprehension  from  your  mind.     I  am 
charged  to  treat  you  with  all  the  respect  which 
is  due  to  the  illustrious  nation  to  which  you 
belong,  and  which  a  cavalier  of  such  exalted 
category  as  yourself  is  entitled  to  expect.     A 
needless  charge,  it  is  true,  as  I  should  only 
have  been  too  happy  of  my  own  accord  to  have 
afforded  you  every  comfort  and  attention.  Ca- 
ballero, you  will  rather  consider  yourself  here 
as  a  guest  than  a  prisoner;  you  will  be  per- 
mitted to  roam  over  every  part  of  this  house 
whenever  you  think  proper.     You  will  find 
matters  here  not  altogether  below  the  attention 
of  a  philosophic  mind.     Pray  issue  whatever 
commands  you  may  think  fit  to  the  turnkeys 
and  officials,  even  as  if  they  were  your  own 
servants.     I  will  now  have  the  honour  of  con- 
ducting you  to  your  apartment — the  only  one 
at  present  unoccupied.     We  invariably  re- 
serve  it  for  cavaliers  of  distinction.     I  am 
happy  to  say  that  my  orders  are  again  in  con- 
sonance  with   my  inclination.      No   charge 
whatever  will  be  made  for  it  to  you,  though 
the  daily  hire  of  it  is   not  unfrequently  an 
ounce  of  gold.     I  entreat  you,  therefore,  to  fol- 
low me,  cavalier,  who  am  at  all  times  and 
seasons  the  most  obedient  and  devoted  of  your 
servants."  Here  he  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed 
profoundly. 

Such  was  the  speech  of  the  alcayde  of  the 
prison  of  Madrid  ;  a  speech  delivered  in  pure 
sonorous  Castilian,  with  calmness,  gravity, 
and  almost  with  dignity ;  a  speech  which 
would  have  done  honour  to  a  gentleman  of  high 
birth,  to  Monsieur  Basompierre,  of  the  Old 
Bastile,  receiving  an  Italian  prince,  or  the  high 
constable  of  the  Tower  an  English  duke  at- 
tainted of  high  treason.  Now,  who  in  the 
name  of  wonder  was  this  alcayde  ? 

One  of  the  greatest  rascals  in  all  Spain.  A 
fellow  who  had  more  than  once  by  his  grasp- 
ing cupidity,  and  by  his  curtailment  of  the 
miserable  rations  of  the  prisoners,  caused  an 
insurrection  in  the  court  below  only  to  be  re- 
pressed by  bloodshed,  and  by  summoning  mili- 
tary aid  ;  a  fellow  of  low  birth,  who,  only  five 
years  previous,  had  been  drummer  to  a  band 
of  royalist  volunteers ! 


164 


THE   BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


But  Spain  is  the  land  of  extraordinary  cha- 1 
.acters.  I 

I  followed  the  alcayde  to  the  end  of  the  cor- ' 
ridor,  where  was  a  massive  grated  door,  on  ! 
each  side  of  which  sat  a  grim  fellow  of  a  turn- 
key. The  door  was  opened,  and  turning  to  the 
riffht,  we  proceeded  down  another  corridor,  in 
which  were  many  people  walking  about, 
whom  I  subsequently  discovered  to  be  prison- 
ers like  myself,  but  for  political  offences.  At 
the  end  of  this  corridor,  which  extended  the 
whole  length  of  the  patio,  we  turned  into  an- 
other, and  the  first  apartment  in  this  was  the 
one  destined  for  myself.  It  was  large  and 
lofty,  but  totally  destitute  of  every  species  of 
furniture,  with  the  exception  of  a  huge  wooden 
pitcher,  intended  to  hold  my  daily  allowance 
of  water.  "  Caballero,"  said  the  alcayde, 
"  the  apartment  is  without  furniture,  as  you 
see.  It  is  already  the  third  hour  of  the  tarde, 
I  therefore  advise  you  to  lose  no  time  in  send- 
ing to  your  lodgings  for  a  bed  and  whatever 
you  may  stand  in  need  of,  the  llavero  here 
shall  do  your  bidding.  Caballero,  adieu,  till 
I  see  you  again." 

I  followed  his  advice,  and  writing  a  note  in 
pencil  to  Maria  Diaz,  I  despatched  it  by  the 
llavero,  and  then  sitting  down  on  the  wooden 
pitcher,  I  fell  into  a  revery,  which  continued 
for  a  considerable  time. 

Night  arrived,  and  so  did  Maria  Diaz,  at- 
tended by  two  porters  and  Francisco,  all  load- 
ed with  furniture.  A  lamp  was  lighted,  char- 
coal was  kindled  in  the  brasero,  and  the  prison 
gloom  was  to  a  certain  degree  dispelled. 

I  now  left  my  seat  on  the  pitcher,  and  sit- 
ting down  on  a  chair,  proceeded  to  despatch 
some  wine  and  viands,  which  my  good  hostess 
had  not  forgotten  to  bring  with  her.  Suddenly 
Mr.  Southern  entered.  He  laughed  heartily 
at  finding  me  engaged  in  the  manner  I  have 


described.  "  B  *  *  *  *  *,"  said  he,  "  you 
are  the  man  to  get  through  the  world,  ftir  you 
appear  to  take  all  things  coolly,  and  as  mat- 
ters of  course.  That,  however,  which  most 
surprises  me  with  respect  to  you  is,  your 
having  so  many  friends  ;  here  you  are  in  pri- 
son, surrounded  by  people  ministering  to  your 
comforts.  Your  very  servant  is  your  friend, 
instead  of  being  your  worst  enemy,  as  is 
usually  the  case.  That  Basque  of  yours  is  a 
noble  fellow.  I  shall  never  forget  how  he 
spoke  for  you,  w'hen  he  came  running  to  the 
embassy  to  inform  us  of  your  arrest.  He  in- 
terested both  Sir  George  and  myself  in  the 
highest  degree :  should  you  ever  wish  to  part 
with  him,  I  hope  you  will  give  me  the  refusal 
of  his  services.  But  now  to  other  matters." 
He  then  informed  me  that  Sir  George  had 
already  sent  in  an  official  note  to  Ofalia,  de- 
manding redress  for  such  a  wanton  outrage  on 
the  person  of  a  British  subject.  "You  must 
remain  in  prison,"  said  he  to-night,  "  but  de- 
pend upon  it  that  to-morrow,  if  you  are  dis- 
posed, you  may  quit  in  triumph."  "  I  am  by 
no  means  disposed  for  any  such  thing,"  I  re- 
plied. "  They  have  put  me  in  prison  for  their 
pleasure,  and  I  intend  to  remain  here  for  my 
own."  "  If  the  confinement  is  not  irksome  to 
you,"  said  Mr.  Southern,  "I  think,  indeed,  it 
will  be  your  wisest  plan;  the  government 
have  committed  themselves  sadly  with  regard 
to  you;  and,  to  speak  plainly,  we  are  by  no 
means  sorry  for  it.  They  have  on  more  than 
one  occasion  treated  ourselves  very  cavalierly, 
and  we  have  now,  if  you  continue  firm,  an 
excellent  opportunity  of  humbling  their  inso- 
lence. I  will  instantly  acquaint  Sir  George 
with  your  determination,  and  you  shall  hear 
from  us  early  on  the  morrow."  He  then  bade 
me  farewell ;  and  flinging  myself  on  my  bed, 
I  was  soon  asleep  in  the  prison  of  Madrid. 


CHAPTER  XL. 


Ofalia — The  Juez — Carcel  de  la  Corte — Sunday  in  Prison — Robber  Dress — Father  and  Son — Cha- 
racteristic Behaviour — The  Frenchman — Prison  Allowance — Valley  of  the  Shadow — Pure  Cas- 
tilian — Balseiro— 'The  Cave — Robber  Glory. 


Ofat.ia  quickly  perceived  that  the  impri- 
sonment of  a  British  subject  in  a  manner  so 
illegal  as  that  which  had  attended  my  own, 
was  likely  to  be  followed  by  rather  serious 
consequences.  Whether  he  himself  had  at 
all  encouraged  the  corregidor  in  his  behaviour 
towards  me,  it  is  impossible  to  say  ;  the  pro- 
bability is  that  he  had  not:  the  latter,  how- 
ever, was  an  officer  of  his  own  appointing,  for 
whose  actions  himself  and  the  government 
were  to  a  certain  extent  responsible.  Sir 
George  had  already  made  a  very  strong  re- 
monstrance upon  the  subject,  and  had  even 
gone  so  far  as  to  state  in  an  official  note  that 
he  should  desist  from  all  farther  communica- 
tion with  the  Spanish  government  imtil  full 
and  ample  reparation  had  been  afforded  me 


for  the  violence  to  which  I  had  been  subjected. 
Ofalia's  reply  was,  that  immediate  measures 
should  be  taken  for  my  liberation,  and  that 
it  would  be  my  own  fault  if  I  remained  in 
prison.  He  forthwith  ordered  a  juez  de  la 
primera  instancia,  a  kind  of  solicitor-general, 
to  wait  upon  me,  who  was  instructed  to  hear 
my  account  of  the  affair,  and  then  to  dismiss 
me  with  an  admonition  to  be  cautious  for  the 
future.  My  friends  of  the  embassy,  however, 
had  advised  me  how  to  act  in  such  a  case. 
Accordingly,  when  the  juez  on  the  second 
night  of  my  imprisonment  made  his  appear- 
ance at  the  prison,  and  summoned  me  before 
him,  I  went,  but  on  his  proceeding  to  question 
me,  I  absolutely  refused  to  answer.  "  I  deny 
your  right  to  put  any  questions  to  me,"  said 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


165 


I ;  "  I  entertain,  however,  no  feelings  of  dis- 
respect to  the  government  or  to  yourself,  Ca- 
ballero  Juez;  but  I  have  been  illegally  impri- 
soned. So  accomplished  a  jurist  as  yourself 
cannot  fail  to  be  aware  that,  according  to  the 
laws  of  Spain,  I,  as  a  foreigner,  could  not  be 
committed  to  prison  for  the  offence  with  which 
I  had  been  charged,  without  previously  being 
conducted  before  the  captain-general  of  this 
royal  city,  whose  duty  it  is  to  protect  foreign- 
ers, and  see  that  the  laws  of  hospitality  are 
not  violated  in  their  persons." 

Juez. — Come,  come,  Don  Jorge,  I  see  what 
you  are  aiming  at;  but  listen  to  reason:  T 
will  not  now  speak  to  you  as  a  juez  but  as  a 
friend  who  wishes  you  well,  and  who  enter- 
tains a  profound  reverence  for  the  British 
nation.  This  is  a  foolish  affair  altogether;  I 
will  not  deny  that  the  political  chief  acted 
somewhat  hastily  on  the  information  of  a  per- 
son not  perhaps  altogether  worthy  of  credit. 
No  great  damage,  however,  has  been  done  to 
you,  and  to  a  man  of  the  world  like  yourself, 
a  little  adventure  of  this  kind  is  rather  calcu- 
lated to  afford  amusement  than  any  thing  else. 
Now  be  advised,  forget  what  has  happened  ; 
you  know  that  it  is  the  part  and  duty  of  a 
Christian  to  forgive;  so,  Don  Jorge,  I  advise 
you  to  leave  this  place  forthwith,  I  dare  say 
you  are  getting  tired  of  it.  You  are  this  mo- 
ment free  to  depart ;  repair  at  once  to  your 
lodgings,  where,  I  promise  you,  that  no  one 
shall  be  permitted  to  interrupt  you  for  the 
future.  It  is  getting  late,  and  the  prison  doors 
will  speedily  be  closed  for  the  night.  Va- 
mos,  Don  Jorge,  a  la  casa,  a  la  posada ! 

Myself. — "  But  Paul  said  unto  them,  they 
have  beaten  us  openly  uncondemned,  being 
Romans,  and  have  cast  us  into  prison ;  and 
now  do  they  thrust  us  out  privily?  Nay, 
verily :  but  let  them  come  themselves  and 
fetch  us  out." 

I  then  bowed  to  the  juez,  who  shrugged  his 
shoulders  and  took  snuff.  On  leaving  the 
apartment  I  turned  to  the  alcayde,  who  stood 
at  the  door :  "  Take  notice,"  said  I,  "  that  I 
will  not  quit  this  prison  till  I  have  received 
ftill  satisfaction  for  being  sent  hither  uncon- 
demned. You  may  expel  me,  if  you  please, 
but  any  attempt  to  do  so  shall  be  resisted 
with  all  the  bodily  strength  of  which  I  am 
possessed." 

"  Usted  hace  Men"  said  the  alcayde  with  a 
bow,  but  in  a  low  voice. 

Sir  George,  on  hearing  of  this  affair,  sent 
me  a  letter,  in  which  he  highly  commended 
my  resolution  not  to  leave  the  prison  for  the 
present,  at  the  same  time  begging  me  to  let 
him  know  if  there  were  any  thing  that  he 
could  send  me  from  the  embassy  to  render  my 
situation  more  tolerable.  I  will  now  leave 
for  the  present  my  own  immediate  affairs  and 
proceed  to  give  some  account  of  the  prison  of 
Madrid  and  its  inmates. 

The  Carcel  de  la  Corte,  where  I  now  was, 
though  the  principal  prison  of  Madrid,  is  one 
which  certainly  in  no  respect  does  credit  to 
the  capital  of  Spain.  Whether  it  was  origi- 
nally intended  for  the  purpose  to  which  it  is 


at  present  applied,  I  have  no  opportunity  of 
knowing.  The  chances,  however,  are,  that  it 
was  not;  indeed  it  was  not  till  of  late  years 
that  the  practice  of  building  edifices  expressly 
intended  and  suited  for  the  incarceration  of 
culprits  came  at  all  into  vogue.  Castles, 
convents,  and  deserted  palaces,  have  in  all 
countries,  at  different  times,  been  converted 
into  prisons,  which  practice  still  holds  good 
upon  the  greater  part  of  the  continent,  and 
more  particularly  in  Spain  and  Italy,  which 
accounts,  to  a  certain  extent,  for  the  insecu- 
rity of  the  prisons,  and  the  misery,  want  of 
cleanliness,  and  unhealthiness  which  in  gene- 
ral pervade  them, 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  enter  into  a  particular 
description  of  the  prison  of  Madrid,  indeed 
it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  describe  so 
irregular  and  rambling  an  edifice.  Its  prin- 
cipal features  consisted  of  two  courts,  the  one 
behind  the  other :  intended  for  the  great  body 
of  the  prisoners  to  take  air  and  recreation  in. 
Three  large  vaulted  dungeons  or  calabozos 
occupied  three  sides  of  this  court,  immediately 
below  the  corridors  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken.  These  dungeons  were  roomy  enough 
to  contain  respectively  from  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners,  who  were  at 
night  secured  therein  with  lock  and  bar,  but 
during  the  day  were  permitted  to  roam  about 
the  courts  as  they  thought  fit.  The  second 
court  was  considerably  larger  than  the  first, 
though  it  contained  but  two  dungeons;  hor- 
ribly filthy  and  disgusting  places;  this  second 
court  being  used  for  the  reception  of  the 
lower  grades  of  thieves.  Of  the  two  dun- 
geons one  was,  if  possible,  yet  more  horrible 
than  the  other ;  it  was  called  the  gallineria, 
or  chicken  coop,  and  within  it  every  night 
were  pent  up  the  young  fry  of  the  prison, 
wretched  boys  from  seven  to  fifteen  years  of 
age,  the  greater  part  almost  in  a  state  of  nu- 
dity. The  common  bed  of  all  the  inmates  of 
these  dungeons  was  the  ground,  between 
which  and  their  bodies  nothing  intervened, 
save  occasionally  a  manta  or  horse-cloth,  or 
perhaps  a  small  mattress;  this  latter  luxury 
was,  however,  of  exceedingly  rare  occur- 
rence. 

Besides  the  calabozos  connected  with  the 
courts,  were  other  dungeons  in  various  parts 
of  the  prison;  some  of  them  quite  dark,  in- 
tended for  the  reception  of  those  whom  it 
might  be  deemed  expedient  to  treat  with  pe- 
culiar severity.  There  was  likewise  a  ward 
set  apart  for  females.  Connected  with  the 
principal  corridor  were  many  small  apart- 
ments, where  resided  prisoners  confined  for 
debt  or  for  political  oflTences.  And,  lastly, 
there  was  a  small  capilla  or  chapel,  in  which 
prisoners  cast  for  death  passed  the  last  three 
days  of  their  existence  in  the  company  of 
their  ghostly  advisers. 

I  shall  not  soon  forget  my  first  Sunday  in 
prison.  Sunday  is  the  gala  day  of  the  prison, 
at  least  of  that  of  Madrid,  and  whatever  rob- 
ber finery  is  to  be  found  within  it,  is  sure  to 
be  exhibited  on  that  day  of  holiness.  There 
is  not  a  set  of  people  in  the  world  more  vaiij. 


le^ 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


than  robbers  in  general,  more  fond  of  cutting 
a  figure  whenever  they  have  an  opportunity 
of  attracting  the  eyes  of  their  fellow-creatures 
by  the  gallantry  of  their  appearance.  The 
famous  Sheppard  of  olden  times  delighted  in 
sporting  a  suit  of  Genoese  velvet,  and  when 
he  appeared  in  public  generally  wore  a  silver- 
hilted  sword  at  his  side;  whilst  Vaux  and 
Hayward,  heroes  of  a  later  day,  were  the  best 
dressed  men  on  the  pave  of  London.  Many 
of  the  Italian  bandits  go  splendidly  decorated, 
and  the  very  gipsy  robber  has  a  feeling  for 
the  charms  of  dress ;  the  cap  alone  of  the 
Haram  Pasha,  or  leader  of  the  cannibal  gipsy 
band  which  infested  Hungary  towards  the 
conclusion  of  the  last  century,  was  adorned 
with  gold  and  jewels  to  the  value  of  four 
thouScHid  guilders.  Observe,  ye  vain  and 
frivolous,  how  vanity  and  crime  harmonize. 
The  Spanish  robbers  are  as  fond  of  this  spe- 
cies of  display  as  their  brethren  of  other  lands, 
and,  whether  in  prison  or  out  of  it,  are  never 
ao  happy  as  when,  decked  out  in  a  profusion 
of  white  linen,  they  can  loll  in  the  sun,,  or 
walk  jauntily  up  and  down. 

Snow  white  linen.  Indeed,  constitutes  the 
principal  feature  in  the  robber  foppery  of 
Spain.  Neither  coat  nor  jacket  is  worn  over 
the  shirt,  the  sleeves  of  which  are  wide  and 
flowing,  only  a  waistcoat  of  green  or  blue 
silk  with  an  abundance  of  silver  buttons, 
which  are  intended  more  for  show  than  use, 
as  the  vest  is  seldom  buttoned.  Then  there 
are  wide  trousers,  something  after  the  Turkish 
feshion ;  around  the  waist  is  a  crimson  faja  or 
girdle,  and  about  the  head  is  tied  a  gaudily 
coloured  handkerchief  from  the  loom  of  Bar- 
celona ;  light  pumps  and  silk  stockings  com- 
plete the  robber's  array.  This  dress  is  pic- 
turesque enough,  and  well  adapted  to  the  fine 
sunshiny  weather  of  the  Peninsula ;  there  is 
a  dash  of  effeminacy  about  it,  however,  hard- 
ly in  keeping  with  the  robber's  desperate 
trade.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed 
that  it  is  every  robber  who  can  indulge  in  all 
this  luxury;  there  are  various  grades  of 
thieves,  some  poor  enough,  with  scarcely  a 
rag  to  cover  them.  Perhaps  in  the  crowded 
prison  of  Madrid,  there  were  not  more  than 
twenty  who  exhibited  the  dress  which  I  have 
attempted  to  describe  above ;  these  were  jenfe 
de  reputacton,  lip-top  thieves,  mostly  young 
fellows,  who,  though  they  had  no  money  of 
their  own,  were  supported  in  prison  by  their 
majas  and  amigas,  females  of  a  certain  class, 
who  form  friendships  with  robbers,  and  whose 
delight  it  is  to  administer  to  the  vanity  of 
these  fellows  with  the  wages  of  their  own 
shame  and  abasement.  These  females  sup- 
plied their  cortejos  with  the  snowy  linen, 
washed,  perhaps,  by  their  own  hands  in  the 
waters  of  the  Manzanares,  for  the  display  of 
the  Sunday,  when  they  would  themselves 
make  their  appearance  dressed  a  la  maja,  and 
from  the  corridors  would  gaze  with  admiring 
eyes  upon  the  robbers  vapouring  about  in  the 
court  below. 

Amongst  those  of  the  snowy  linen  who 
most  particularly  attracted  my  attention,  were 


a  father  and  son;  the  former  was  a  tall  ath- 
letic figure  of  about  thirty,  by  profession  a 
house-breaker,  and  celebrated  throughout 
Madrid  for  the  peculiar  dexterity  which  he 
exhibited  in  his  calling.  He  was  now  in  pri- 
son for  a  rather  atrocious  murder  committed 
in  the  dead  of  night,  in  a  house  at  Caraman- 
chel  in  which  his  only  accomplice  was  his 
son,  a  child  under  seven  years  of  age.  "  The 
apple,"  as  the  Danes  say,  "  had  not  fallen 
far  from  the  tree ;"  the  imp  was  in  everj'  re- 
spect the  counterpart  of  the  father,  though  in 
miniature.  He,  too,  wore  the  robber  shirt 
sleeves,  the  robber  waistcoat  with  the  silver 
buttons,  the  robber  kerchief  round  his  brow, 
and,  ridiculous  enough,  a  long  Manchegan 
knife  in  the  crimson  faja.  He  was  evidently 
the  pride  of  the  ruffian  father,  who  took  all 
imaginable  care  of  this  chick  of  the  gallows, 
would  dandle  him  on  his  knee,  and  would  oc- 
casionally take  the  cigar  from  his  own  mous- 
tached  lips  and  insert  it  into  the  urchin's 
mouth.  The  boy  was  the  pet  of  the  court, 
for  the  father  was  one  of  the  valientes  of  the 
prison,  and  those  who  feared  his  prowess,  and 
wished  to  pay  their  court  to  him  were  always 
fondling  the  child.  What  an  enigma  is  this 
world  of  ours !  How  dark  and  mysterious  are 
the  sources  of  what  is  called  crime  and  virtue ! 
If  that  infant  wretch  become  eventually  a 
murderer  like  his  father,  is  he  to  blame  t 
Fondled  by  robbers,  already  dressed  as  a  rob- 
ber, born  of  a  robber,  whose  own  history  was 
perhaps  similar.     Is  it  right  1     .     .     .    . 

0,  man,  man,  seek  not  to  dive  into  the  mys- 
tery of  moral  good  and  evil ;  confess  thyself 
a  worm,  cast  thyself  on  the  earth,  and  mur- 
mur with  thy  lips  in  the  dust,  Jesus,  Jesus ! 

What  most  surprised  me,  with  respect  to 
the  prisoners,  was  their  good  behaviour;  I 
call  it  good  when  all  things  are  taken  into 
consideration,  and  when  I  compare  it  with 
that  of  the  general  class  of  prisoners  in  foreign 
lands.  They  had  their  occasional  bursts  of 
wild  gaiety,  their  occasional  quarrels,  which 
they  were  in  the  habit  of  settling  in  a  comer 
of  the  interior  court  with  their  long  knives; 
the  result  not  unfrequently  being  death,  or  a 
dreadful  gash  in  the  face  or  the  abdomen ;  but, 
upon  the  whole,  their  conduct  was  infinitely 
superior  to  what  might  have  been  expected 
from  the  inmates  of  such  a  place.  Yet  this 
was  not  the  result  of  coercion,  or  any  particu- 
lar care  which  was  exercised  over  them  ;  for 
perhaps  in  no  part  of  the  world  are  prisoners 
so  left  to  themselves  and  so  utterly  neglected 
as  in  Spain :  the  authorities  having  no  farther 
anxiety  about  them  than  to  prevent  their  es- 
cape ;  not  the  slightest  attention  being  paid 
to  their  moral  conduct,  and  not  a  thought  be- 
stowed upon  their  health,  comfort,  or  mental 
improvement,  whilst  within  the  walls.  Yet 
in  this  prison  of  Madrid,  and  I  may  say  in 
Spanish  prisons  in  general,  for  I  have  been 
an  inmate  of  more  than  one,  the  ears  of  the 
visitor  are  never  shocked  with  horrid  blasphe- 
my and  obscenity,  as  in  those  of  some  other 
countries,  and  more  particularly  in  civilized 
Fremce  ;  nor  are  his  eyes  outraged  and  him 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


167 


self  insulted,  as  he  would  assuredly  be,  were 
he  to  look  down  upon  the  courts  from  the  gal- 
leries of  the  Bicetre.  And  yet  in  this  prison 
of  Madrid  were  some  of  the  most  desperate 
characters  in  Spain  :  ruffians  who  had  com- 
mitted acts  of  cruelty  and  atrocity  sufficient  to 
made  the  flesh  shudder.  But  gravity  and  se- 
dateness  are  the  leading  characteristics  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  the  very  robber,  except  in  those 
moments  when  he  is  engaged  in  his  occupa- 
tion, and  then  no  one  is  more  sanguinary,  piti- 
less, and  wolfishly  eager  for  booty,  is  a  being 
who  can  be  courteous  and  affable,  and  who 
takes  pleasure  in  conducting  himself  with  so- 
briety and  decorum. 

Happily,  perhaps,  for  me,  that  my  acquaint- 
ance with  the  ruffians  of  Spain  commenced 
and  ended  in  the  towns  about  which  I  wan- 
dered, and  in  the  prisons  into  which  I  was 
cast  for  the  Gospel's  sake,  and  that,  notwith- 
standing my  long  and  frequent  journeys,  I 
never  came  in  contact  with  them  on  the  road 
or  in  the  despoblado. 

The  most  ill-conditioned  being  in  the  pri- 
son was  a  Frenchman,  though  probably  the 
most  remarkable.  He  was  about  sixty  years 
of  age,  of  the  middle  stature,  but  thin  and 
meagre,  like  most  of  his  countrymen;  he  had 
a  villanously  formed  head,  according  to  all  the 
rules  of  craniology,  and  his  features  were  full 
of  evil  expression.  He  wore  no  hat,  and  his 
clothes,  though  in  appearance  nearly  new, 
were  of  the  coarsest  description.  He  gene- 
rally kept  aloof  from  the  rest,  and  would  stand 
for  hours  together  leaning  against  the  walls 
with  his  arms  folded,  glaring  sullenly  on  what 
was  passing  before  him.  He  was  not  one  of 
the  professed  valientes,  for  his  age  prevented 
his  assuming  so  distinguished  a  character, 
and  yet  all  the  rest  appeared  to  hold  him  in  a 
certain  awe :  perhaps  they  feared  his  tongue, 
which  he  occasionally  exerted  in  pouring  forth 
withering  curses  on  those  who  incurred  his 
displeasure.  He  spoke  perfectly  good  Spa- 
nish, and  to  my  great  surprise  excellent 
Basque,  in  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  con- 
versing with  Francisco,  who,  lolling  from  the 
window  of  my  apartment,would  exchange  jests 
and  witticisms  with  the  prisoners  in  the  court 
below,  with  whom  he  was  a  great  favourite. 

One  day  when  I  was  in  the  patio,  to  which 
I  had  free  admission  whenever  I  pleased,  by 
permission  of  the  alcayde,  I  went  up  to  the 
Frenchman,  who  stood  in  his  usual  posture, 
leaning  against  the  wall,  and  offered  him  a 
cigar.  I  do  not  smoke  myself,  but  it  will 
never  do  to  mix  among  the  lower  classes  of 
Spain  unless  you  have  a  cigar  to  present  oc- 
casionally. The  man  glared  at  me  ferociously 
for  a  moment,  and  appeared  to  be  on  the  point 
of  refusing  my  offer  with  perhaps  a  hideous 
execration.  1  repeated  it,  however,  pressing 
my  hand  against  my  heart,  whereupon  sud- 
denly the  grim  feature  relaxed,  and  with  a 
genuine  French  grimace,  and  a  low  bow,  he 
accepted  the  cigar,  exclaiming,  "  Ah  Monsieur, 
pardon,  mats  c''est  /aire  trap  (Thonneur  a  un 
pauvre  diable  comme  moi." 

'*  Not  at  all,"  said  I,  "we  are  both  fellow- 


prisoners  in  a  foreign  land,  and  being  so  we 
ought  to  countenance  each  other.  I  hope  that 
whenever  I  have  need  of  your  co-operation  in 
this  prison  you  will  afford  it  me." 

"Ah,  Monsieur,"  exclaimed  the  Frenchman 
in  rapture,  "  vous  avez  bien  raison ;  ilfaut  que 
les  etrangers  se  donnent  la  main  dar^s  ce  .  ,  . 
pays  de  barbares.  Tenez,"  he  added  in  a 
whisper,  "  if  you  have  any  plan  for  escaping, 
and  require  my  assistance,  I  have  an  arm  and 
a  knife  at  your  service:  you  may  trust  me, 
and  that  is  more  than  you  could  any  of  these 
sacres  gens  ici,^^  glancing  fiercely  round  at  his 
fellow-prisoners. 

"  You  appear  to  be  no  friend  to  Spain  and 
the  Spaniards,"  said  I.  "  I  conclude  that  you 
have  experienced  injustice  at  their  hands.  For 
what  have  they  immured  you  in  this  place  !" 

"  Pour  rien  du  tout,  c'est  a  dire  pour  une 
bagatelle  ,•  but  what  can  you  expect  from  such 
animals.  For  what  are  you  imprisoned  ]  Did 
I  not  hear  say  for  gipsyism  and  sorcery  V 

"  Perhaps  you  are  here  for  your  opinions  1" 

"  M,  mon  Dieu,  non ;  je  ne  suis  pas  homme 
a  semblable  belise.     I  have  no  opinions.    Je 

faisois mais  ce  n'importe ;  je  me  trouve 

id,  oH  je  creve  de  faim." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  see  a  brave  man  in  such  a 
distressed  condition,"  said  I ;  "  have  you  no- 
thing to  subsist  on  beyond  the  prison  allow- 
ance 1     Have  you  no  friends  ?" 

"Friends  in  this  country!  you  mock  me; 
here  one  has  no  friends,  unless  one  buy  them. 
I  am  bursting  with  hungef  :  since  I  have  been 
here,  I  have  sold  the  clothes  off  my  back,  that 
I  might  eat,  for  the  prison  allowance  will  not 
support  nature,  and  of  half  of  that  we  are 
robbed  by  the  Batu,  as  they  called  the  barba- 
rian of  a  governor.  Les  haillons  which  now 
cover  me  were  given  by  two  or  three  devotees 
who  sometimes  visit  here.  I  would  sell  them 
if  they  would  fetch  aught.  I  have  not  a  sou, 
and  for  want  of  a  few  crowns  I  shall  be  gar- 
roted  within  a  month  unless  I  can  escape, 
though,  as  I  told  you  before,  I  have  done  no- 
thing, a  mere  bagatelle  ;  but  the  worst  crimes 
in  Spain  are  poverty  and  misery." 

"  I  have  heard  you  speak  Basque ;  are  you 
from  French  Biscay  V 

"I  am  from  Bordeaux,  Monsieur;  but  I 
have  lived  much  on  the  Landes  and  in  Biscay, 
travaillant  a  mon  metier.  I  see  by  your  look 
that  you  wish  to  know  my  history.  I  shall 
not  tell  it  you.  It  contains  nothing  that  is 
remarkable.  See,  I  have  smoked  out  your 
cigar;  you  may  give  me  another,  and  add  a 
dollar  if  you  please,  nous  sommes  creves  ici  de 
faim.  I  would  not  say  as  much  to  a  Spaniard, 
but  I  have  a  respect  for  your  countrymen ;  I 
know  much  of  them;  I  have  met  them  at 
Maida  and  the  other  place."* 

"  Nothing  remarkable  in  his  history !" 
Why,  or  I  greatly  err,  one  chapter  of  his  life, 
had  it  been  written,  would  have  unfolded 
more  of  the  wild  and  wonderful  than  fifty 
volumes  of  what  are  in  general  called  adven- 
tures and  hair-breadth  escapes  by  land  and 


Perhaps  Waterloo. 


168 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


sea.  A  soldier!  what  a  tale  could  that  man 
have  told  of  marches  and  retreats,  of  battles 
lost  and  won,  towns  sacked,  convents  plun- 
dered ;  perhaps  he  had  seen  the  flames  of 
Moscow  ascending  to  the  clouds,  and  had 
"  tried  his  strength  with  nature  in  the  wintry 
desert,"  pelted  by  the  snow-storm,  and  bitten 
by  the  tremendous  cold  of  Russia:  and  what 
could  he  mean  by  plying  his  trade  in  Biscay 
and  the  Landes,  but  that  he  had  been  a  robber 
in  those  wild  regions,  of  which  the  latter  is 
more  infamous  for  brigandage  and  crime  than 
any  other  part  of  the  French  territory.  No- 
thing remarkable  in  his  history !  then  what 
history  in  the  world  contains  aught  that  is 
remarkable  1 

I  gave  him  the  cigar  and  dollar:  he  re- 
ceived them,  and  then  once  more  folding  his 
arms,  leaned  back  against  the  wall  and  ap- 
peared to  sink  gradually  into  one  of  his  reve- 
ries. I  looked  him  in  the  face  and  spoke  to 
him,  but  he  did  not  seem  either  to  hear  or  see 
me.  His  mind  was  perhaps  wandering  in 
that  dreadful  valley  of  the  shadow,  into  which 
the  children  of  earth,  whilst  living,  occasion- 
ally find  their  way ;  that  dreadful  region  where 
there  is  no  water,  where  hope  dwelleth  not, 
where  nothing  lives  but  the  undying  worm. 
This  valley  is  the  fac-simile  of  hell,  and  he 
who  has  entered  it,  has  experienced  here  on 
earth  for  a  time  what  the  spirits  of  the  con- 
demned are  doomed  to  suffer  through  ages 
■without  end. 

Ha  was  executed  about  a  month  from  this 
time.  The  bagatelle  for  which  he  was  con- 
fined was  robbery  and  murder  by  the  follow- 
ing strange  device.  In  concert  with  two  others, 
he  hired  a  large  house  in  an  unfrequented  part 
of  the  town,  to  which  place  he  would  order 
tradesmen  to  convey  valuable  articles,  which 
were  to  be  paid  for  on  delivery  ;  those  who 
attended  paid  for  their  credulity  with  the  loss 
of  their  lives  and  property.  Two  or  three  had 
fallen  into  the  snare,  I  wished  much  to  have 
had  some  private  conversation  with  this  des- 
perate man,  and  in  consequence  begged  of  the 
alcayde  to  allow  him  to  dine  with  me  in  my 
own  apartment;  whereupon  Monsieur  Basom- 
pierre,  for  so  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  calling 
the  governor,  his  real  name  having  escaped 
my  memory,  took  off  his  hat,  and,  with  his 
usual  smile  and  bow,  replied  in  purest  Cas- 
tilian,  "  English  Cavalier,  and  I  hope  I  may 
add  friend,  pardon  me,  that  it  is  quite  out  of 
my  power  to  gratify  your  request,  founded,  I 
have  no  doubt,  on  the  most  admirable  senti- 
ments of  philosophy.  Any  of  the  other  gen- 
tleman beneath  my  care  shall,  at  any  time 
you  desire  it,  be  permitted  to  wait  upon  you 
in  your  apartment.  I  will  even  go  so  far  as 
to  cause  their  irons,  if  irons  they  wear,  to  be 
knocked  off  in  order  that  they  may  partake  of 
your  refection  with  that  comfort  which  is 
seemly  and  convenient :  but  to  the  gentlemen 
in  question  I  must  object;  he  is  the  most  evil 
disposed  of  the  whole  of  this  family,  and 
would  most  assuredly  breed  a  funcion  either 
in  your  apartment  or  in  the  corridor,  by  an  at- 
tempt to  escape.     Cavalier,  me  pesa,  but  I  j 


cannot  accede  to  your  request.  But  with  re- 
spect to  any  other  gentlemen,  I  shall  be  most 
happy,  even  Balseiro,  who,  though  strange 
things  are  told  of  him,  still  knows  how  to 
comport  himself,  and  in  whose  behaviour  there 
is  something  both  of  formality  and  politeness, 
shall  this  day  share  your  hospitality  if  you 
desire  it,  Cavalier." 

Of  Balseiro  I  have  already  had  occasion  to 
speak  in  the  former  part  of  this  narrative.  He 
was  now  confined  in  an  upper  story  of  the 
prison,  in  a  strong  room,  with  several  other 
malefactors.  He  had  been  found  guilty  of 
aiding  and  assisting  one  Pepe  Candelas,  a 
thief  of  no  inconsiderable  renown,  in  a  despe- 
rate robbery  perpetrated  in  open  daylight  upon 
no  less  a  personage  than  the  queen's  milliner, 
a  Frenchwoman,  whom  they  bound  in  her  own 
shop,  from  which  they  took  goods  and  money 
to  the  amount  of  five  or  six  thousand  dollars. 
Candelas  had  already  expiated  his  crime  on 
the  scaffold,  but  Balseiro,  who  was  said  to  be 
by  far  the  worst  ruffian  of  the  two,  had  by  dint 
of  money,  an  ally  which  his  comrade  did  not 
possess,  contrived  to  save  his  own  life;  the 
punishment  of  death,  to  which  he  was  original- 
ly sentenced,  having  been  commuted  to  twenty 
years'  hard  labour  in  the  presidio  of  Malaga. 
I  visited  this  worthy,  and  conversed  with  him 
for  some  time  through  the  wicket  of  the  dun- 
geon. He  recognised  me,  and  reminded  me 
of  the  victory  which  I  had  once  obtained  over 
him,  in  the  trial  of  our  respective  skill  in  the 
crabbed  Gitano,  at  which  Sevilla  the  bull- 
fighter was  umpire. 

Upon  my  telling  him  that  I  was  sorry  to 
see  him  in  such  a  situation,  he  replied  that  it 
was  an  affair  of  no  matter  of  consequence,  as 
within  six  weeks  he  should  be  conducted  to 
the  presidio,  from  which,  with  the  assistance 
of  a  few  ounces  distributed  amongst  the  guards, 
he  could  at  any  time  escape.  "  But  whither 
would  you  flee]"  I  demanded.  "  Can  I  not 
flee  to  the  land  of  the  Moors,"  replied  Balsei- 
ro, "  or  to  the  English  in  the  camp  of  Gibral- 
tar ;  or,  if  I  prefer  it,  cannot  I  return  to  this 
foro  (ct'/y),  and  live  as  I  have  hitherto  done, 
choring  the  gachos  (^robbing  the  natives) ;  what 
is  to  hinder  mel  Madrid  is  large,  and  Balsei- 
ro has  plenty  of  friends,  especially  among  the 
lumias  (women),"  he  added  with  a  smile.  I 
spoke  to  him  of  his  ill-fated  accomplice  Can- 
delas; whereupon  his  face  assumed  a  horrible 
expression.  "  I  hope  he  is  in  torment,"  ex- 
claimed the  robber.  The  friendship  of  the 
unrighteous  is  never  of  long  duration ;  the 
two  worthies  had  it  seems  quarrelled  in  prison ; 
Candelas  having  accused  the  other  of  bad 
faith  and  an  undue  appropriation  to  his  own 
use  of  the  corpus  delicti  in  various  robberies 
which  they  had  committed  in  company. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  relating  the  subse- 
quent history  of  this  Balseiro.  Shortly  after 
my  own  liberation,  too  impatient  to  wait 
until  the  presidio  should  aflTord  him  a  chance 
of  regaining  his  liberty,  he  in  company  with 
some  other  convicts  broke  through  the  roof 
of  the  prison  and  escaped.  He  instantly  re- 
sumed his  former  habits,  committing  several 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


169 


daring  robberies  both  within  and  without  the 
walls  of  Madrid.  I  now  come  to  his  last,  I 
may  call  it  his  master  crime,  a  singular  piece 
of  atrocious  villany.  Dissatisfied  with  the 
proceeds  of  street  robbery  and  house-break- 
ing, he  determined  upon  a  bold  stroke,  by 
which  he  hoped  to  acquire  money  sufficient 
to  support  him  in  some  foreign  land  in  luxury 
and  splendour. 

There  was  a  certain  comptroller  of  the 
queen's  household,  by  name  Gabiria,  a  Basque 
by  birth,  and  a  man  of  immense  possessions : 
this  individual  had  two  sons,  handsome  boys, 
between  twelve  and  fourteen  years  of  age, 
whom  I  had  frequently  seen,  and  indeed  con- 
versed with,  in  my  walks  on  the  bank  of  the 
Manzanares,  which  was  their  favourite  pro- 
menade. These  children,  at  the  time  of 
which  I  am  speaking,  were  receiving  their 
education  at  a  certain  seminary  in  Madrid. 
Balseiro,  being  well  acquainted  with  the 
father's  affection  for  his  children,  determined 
to  make  it  subservient  to  his  own  rapacity. 
He  formed  a  plan  which  was  neither  more 
nor  less  than  to  steal  the  children,  and  not  to 
restore  them  to  their  parent  until  he  had  re- 
ceived an  enormous  ransom.  This  plan  was 
partly  carried  into  execution :  two  associates 
of  Balseiro,  well  dressed,  drove  up  to  the 
door  of  the  seminary,  where  the  children 
were,  and,  by  means  of  a  forged  letter,  pur- 
porting to  be  written  by  the  father,  induced 
the  schoolmaster  to  permit  the  boys  to  ac- 
company them  for  a  country  jaunt,  as  they 
pretended.  About  five  leagues  from  Madrid, 
Balseiro  had  a  cave  in  a  wild  unfrequented 
spot  between  the  Escurial  and  a  village  called 
Torre  Lodones :  to  this  cave  the  children 
were  conducted,  where  they  remained  in  du- 
rance undor  the  custody  of  the  two  accom- 
plices ;  Balseiro  in  the  mean  time  remaining 
in  Madnd  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  ne- 
gotiations with  the  father.    The  father,  how- 


ever, was  a  man  of  considerable  energy,  and 
instead  of  acceding  to  the  terms  of  the  ruffian, 
communicated  in  a  letter,  instantly  took  the 
most  vigorous  measures  for  the  recovery  of 
his  children.  Horse  and  foot  were  sent  out 
to  scour  the  country,  and  in  less  than  a  week 
the  children  were  found  near  the  cave,  having 
been  abandoned  by  their  keepers,  who  had 
taken  fright  on  hearing  of  the  decided  mea- 
sures which  had  been  resorted  to ;  they  were, 
however,  speedily  arrested  and  identified  by 
the  boys  as  their  ravishers.  Balseiro,  per- 
ceiving that  Madrid  was  becoming  too  hot  to 
hold  him,  attempted  to  escape,  but  whether 
to  the  camp  of  Gibraltar  or  to  the  land  of  the 
Moor,  I  know  not ;  he  was  recognised,  how- 
ever, at  a  village  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ma- 
drid, and  being  apprehended,  was  forthwith 
conducted  to  the  capital,  where  he  shortly 
after  terminated  his  existence  on  the  scaffold, 
with  his  two  associates;  Gabiria  and  his 
children  being  present  at  the  ghastly  scene, 
which  they  surveyed  from  a  chariot  at  their 
ease. 

Such  was  the  end  of  Balseiro,  of  whom  I 
should  certainly  not  have  said  so  much,  but 
for  the  affair  of  the  crabbed  Gitano.  Poor 
wretch  !  he  acquired  that  species  of  immor- 
tality which  is  the  object  of  the  aspirations 
of  many  a  Spanish  thief,  whilst  vapouring 
about  in  the  patio,  dressed  in  the  snowy 
linen;  the  rape  of  the  children  of  Gabiria 
made  him  at  once  the  pet  of  the  fraternity. 
A  celebrated  robber,  with  whom  I  was  sub- 
sequently imprisoned  at  Seville,  spoke  his 
eulogy  in  the  following  manner. 

"  Balseiro  was  a  very  good  subject,  and  an 
honest  man.  He  was  the  head  of  our  family, 
Don  Jorge ;  nunca  se  ha  visto  su  igual ;  pity 
that  he  did  not  sack  the  parne  (wmcy),  and 
escape  to  the  camp  of  the  Moor,  Don 
Jorge." 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


Maria  Diaz — Priestly  Vituperation — Antonio's  Visit — Antonio  at  Service — A  Scene — Benedict  Mol 
— Wandering  in  Spain — The  Four  Evangiles. 


"  Well,"  said  I  to  Maria  Diaz,  on  the 
third  morning  after  my  imprisonment,  "  what 
do  the  people  of  Madrid  say  to  this  affair  of 
minel" 

"  I  do  not  know  what  the  people  of  Madrid 
in  general  say  about  it,  probably  they  do  not 
take  much  interest  in  it ;  indeed,  imprison- 
ments at  the  present  time  are  such  common 
matters  that  people  seem  to  be  quite  indiffer- 
ent to  them :  the  priests,  however,  are  in  no 
slight  commotion,  and  confess  that  they  have 
committed  an  imprudent  thing  in  causing  you 
to  be  arrested  by  their  friend  the  corregidor  j 
of  Madrid." 

"How  is  that V  I  inquired.    "Are  they 
afraid  that  their  friend  will  be  punished?"      I 
22 


"Not  so,  Senor,"  replied  Maria;  '*•  slight 
grief  indeed  would  it  cause  them,  however 
great  the  trouble  in  which  he  had  involved 
himself  on  their  account,  for  this  description 
of  people  have  no  affection,  and  would'  not 
care  if  all  their  friends  were  hanged,  provided 
they  themselves  escaped.  But  they  say  that 
they  have  acted  imprudently  in  sending  you 
to  prison,  inasmuch  as  by  so  doing  they  have 
given  you  an  opportunity  of  carrying  a  plan 
of  yours  into  execution.  '  This  fellow  is  a 
bribon,'  say  they,  'and  has  commenced 
tampering  with  the  prisoners;  they  have 
taught  him  their  language,  which  he  already 
speaks  as  well  as  if  he  were  a  son  of  the 
prison.    As  soon  as  he  comes  out  he  will 


170 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


publish  a  thieves'  gospel,  which  will  be  a 
still  more  dangerous  affair  than  the  gipsy 
one,  for  the  gipsies  are  few,  but  the  thieves ! 
wo  is  us;  we  shall  all  be  Lutheranized. 
What  infamy,  what  rascality !  It  was  a  trick 
of  his  own.  He  was  always  eager  to  get 
into  prison,  and  now,  in  an  evil  hour,  we 
have  sent  him  there,  el  bribonazo.-  there  will 
be  no  safety  for  Spain  until  he  is  hanged ;  he 
ought  to  be  sent  a  los  cuatro  infiernns,  where 
at  his  leisure  he  might  translate  his  fatal  gos- 
pels into  the  language  of  the  demons.'  " 

"  I  but  said  three  words  to  the  aicayde  of 
the  prison,"  said  I,  "relative  to  the  jargon 
used  by  the  children  of  the  prison." 

"Three  words,  Don  Jorge;  and  what  may 
not  be  made  out  of  three  words  1  You  have 
lived  amongst  us  to  little  purpose  if  you 
think  we  require  more  than  three  words  to 
build  a  system  with:  those  three  words  about 
the  thieves  and  their  tongue  were  quite  suffi- 
cient to  cause  it  to  be  reported  throughout 
Madrid  that  you  had  tampered  with  the  thieves, 
had  learned  their  language,  and  had  written 
a  book  which  was  to  overturn  Spain,  open  to 
the  English  the  gates  of  Cadiz,  give  Mendi- 
zabal  all  the  church  plate  and  jewels,  and  to 
Don  Martin  Luther  the  archiepiscopal  palace 
of  Toledo." 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  rather  a  gloomy 
day,  as  I  was  sitting  in  the  apartment  which 
the  aicayde  had  allotted  me,  I  heard  a  rap  at 
the  door.  "Who  is  that?"  I  exclaimed. 
"  C^est  mot,  mon  maitre,"  cried  a  well  known 
Toice,  and  presently  in  walked  Antonio  Bu- 
chini,  dressed  in  the  same  style  as  when  I 
first  introduced  him  to  the  reader,  namely,  in 
a  handsome  but  rather  faded  French  surtout, 
vest  and  pantaloons,  with  a  diminutive  hat  in 
one  hand,  and  holding  in  the  other  a  long  and 
slender  cane. 

"  J5(?n  jour,  mon  maifre,"  said  the  Greek; 
then  glancing  around  the  apartment,  he  con- 
tinued, "  I  am  glad  to  find  you  so  well  lodged. 
If  I  remember  right,  mon  maitre,  we  have 
slept  in  worse  places  during  our  wanderings 
in  Galicia  and  Castile." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Antonio,"  I  replied ; 
"  I  am  very  comfortable.  Well,  this  is  kind 
of  you  to  visit  your  ancient  master,  more  es- 
pecially now  he  is  in  the  toils;  I  hope,  how- 
ever, that  by  so  doing  you  will  not  offend  your 
present  employer.  His  dinner  hour  must  be 
at  hand  ;  why  are  not  you  in  the  kitchen  !" 

"  Of  what  employer  are  you  speaking,  mon 
maitre  1"  demanded  Antonio. 

"  Of  whom  should  I  speak  but  Count  *  *  *, 
to  serve  whom  you  abandoned  me,  being 
tempted  by  an  offer  of  a  monthly  salary  less 
by  four  dollars  than  that  which  I  was  giving 
you."^ 

"  Your  worship  brings  an  affair  to  my  re- 
membrance which  I  had  long  since  forgotten. 
I  have  at  present  no  other  master  than  your- 
self. Monsieur  Georges,  for  I  shall  always 
consider  you  as  ray  master,  though  I  may  not 
enjoy  the  felicity  of  waiting  upon  you." 

"  Yob  have  left  the  Count,  then,"  said  I, 


"after  remaining  three  days  in  the  house,  ac-* 
cording  to  your  usual  practice." 

"Not  three  hours,  mon  maitre,"  replied 
Antonio;  "but  I  will  tell  you  the  circum- 
stances. Soon  after  I  left  you  I  repaired  to 
the  house  of  Monsieur  le  Comte;  1  entered 
the  kitchen,  and  looked  about  me.  I  cannot 
say  that  I  had  much  reason  to  be  dissatisfied, 
with  what  I  saw  :  the  kitchen  was  large  and 
commodious,  and  every  thing  appeared  neat 
and  in  its  proper  place,  and  the  domestics 
civil  and  courteous;  yet  I  know  not  how  it 
was,  the  idea  at  once  rushed  into  my  mind 
that  the  house  was  by  no  means  suited  to  me, 
and  that  I  was  not  destined  to  stay  there  long; 
so  hanging  my  haversac  upon  a  nail,  and  sit- 
ting down  on  the  dresser,  1  commenced  sing- 
ing a  Greek  song,  as  I  am  in  the  habit  of  do- 
ing when  dissatisfied.  The  domestics  came 
about  me  asking  questions;  I  made  them  no 
answer,  however,  and  continued  singing  till 
the  hour  for  preparing  the  dinner  drew  nigh, 
when  I  suddenly  sprang  on  the  floor  and  was 
not  long  in  thrusting  them  all  out  of  the 
kitchen,  telling  them  that  they  had  no  busi- 
ness there  at  such  a  season :  I  then  at  once 
entered  upon  my  functions,  I  exerted  mvself, 
mon  maitre,  1  exerted  myself,  and  was  pre- 
paring a  repast  which  would  have  done  me 
honour;  there  was,  indeed,  some  company 
expected  that  day,  and  I  therefore  determined 
to  show  my  employer  that  nothing  was  be- 
yond the  capacity  of  his  Greek  cook.  Eh 
bien,  mon  maitre,  all  was  going  on  remarkably 
well,  and  I  felt  almost  reconciled  to  my  new 
situation,  when  who  should  rush  into  the 
kitchen  but  le  Jih  de  la  maison,  my  young 
master,  an  ugly  urchin  of  thirteen  years  or 
thereabouts;  he  bore  in  his  hand  a  manchet 
of  bread,  which,  after  prying  about  for  a  mo- 
ment, he  proceeded  to  dip  in  a  pan  where  some 
delicate  woodcocks  were  in  the  course  of  pre- 
paration. Y'ou  know,  mon  maitre,  how  sen- 
sitive I  am  on  certain  points,  for  I  am  no 
Spaniard,  but  a  Greek,  and  have  principles 
of  honour.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation 
I  took  my  young  master  by  the  shoulders, 
and  hurrying  him  to  the  door,  dismissed  him 
in  the  manner  which  he  deserved:  squalling 
loudly,  he  hurried  away  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  house.  I  continued  my  labours,  but  ere 
three  minutes  had  elapsed,  I  heard  a  dreadful 
confusion  above  stairs,  on  fauoit  une  harrtble 
tintamarre,  and  I  could  occasionally  distin- 
guish oaths  and  execrations :  presently  doors 
were  flung  open,  and  there  was  an  awful 
rushing  down  stairs,  a  galopade.  It  was 
my  lord,  the  count,  his  lady,  and  my  young 
master,  followed  by  a  regular  bevy  of  wo- 
men and  filles  de  chambre.  Far  in  advance 
of  all,  however,  was  my  lord  with  a  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand,  shouting,  "  Where  is 
the  wretch  who  has  dishonoured  my  son  1 — 
where  is  he  ?  He  shall  die  forthwith."  I 
know  not  how  it  was,  mon  maitre,  but  1 
just  then  chanced  to  spill  a  large  bowl  of  gar- 
banzos,  which  were  intended  for  the  puchera 
of  the  following  day.    They  were  uncooked, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


I7« 


and  were  as  hard  as  marbles;  these  I  dashed 
upon  the  floor,  and  the  fjreater  part  of  them 
fell  just  about  the  doorway.  Eh  bt'en,  nion 
maitre,  in  another  moment  in  bounded  the 
count,  his  eyes  sparkling  like  coals,  and,  as  I 
have  already  said,  with  a  rapier  in  his  hand. 
*  Tenez,  guetix  enrage,^  he  screamed,  making 
a  desperate  lunge  at  me ;  but  ere  the  words 
were  out  of  his  mouth,  his  foot  slipping  on  the 
peas,  he  fell  forward  with  great  violence  at 
liis  full  length,  and  his  weapon  flew  out  of  his 
hand,  comtne  une  Jleche.  You  should  have 
heard  the  outcry  which  ensued  !  There  was 
a  terrible  confusion :  the  count  lay  upon  the 
floor,  to  all  appearance  stunned ;  I  took  no 
notice,  however,  continuing  busily  employed. 
They  at  last  raised  him  up,  and  assisted  him 
till  he  came  to  himself,  though  very  pale  and 
much  shaken.  He  asked  for  his  sword  :  all 
eyes  were  now  turned  upon  me,  and  I  saw 
that  a  general  attack  was  meditated.  Sudden- 
ly I  took  a  large  caserolle  from  the  fire,  in 
which  various  eggs  were  frying;  this  I  held 
nut  at  arm's  length,  peering  at  it  along  my 
arm,  as  if  I  were  curiously  inspecting  it;  my 
right  foot  advanced  and  the  other  thrown  back 
as  far  as  possible.  All  stood  still,  imagining, 
doubtless,  that  I  was  about  to  perform  some 
grand  operation,  and  so  I  was :  for  suddenly 
the  sinister  leg  advancing,  with  one  rapid 
coup  de  jAed,  I  sent  the  caserolle  and  its  con- 
tents flying  over  my  head,  so  that  they  struck 
the  wall  far  behind  me.  This  was  to  let  them 
know  that  I  had  broken  my  staff,  and  had 
shaken  the  dust  off  my  feet :  so,  casting  upon 
the  count  the  peculiar  glance  of  the  Sceirote 
cooks  when  they  feel  themselves  insulted,  and 
extending  my  mouth  on  either  side  nearly  as 
far  as  the  ears,  I  took  down  my  haversac  and 
departed,  singing  as  I  went  the  song  of  the 
ancient  Demos,  who,  when  dying,  asked  for 
his  supper,  and  water  wherewith  to  lave  his 
hands: 

^vpT£,  nawtd  jiov,  'a  ri  vcpiv  ipujii  va  (par  dird-pe. 

And  in  this  manner,  mon  maitre,  I  left  the 
house  of  the  Count  of  *  *  *  *  *." 

Myself. — And  a  fine  account  you  have  given 
of  yourself;  by  your  own  confession,  your 
behaviour  was  most  atrocious.  Were  it  not 
for  the  many  marks  of  courage  and  fidelity 
which  you  have  exhibited  in  my  service,  I 
would  from  this  moment  hold  no  farther  com- 
munication with  you. 

Antonio. — Main  qu'est  ce  que  vous  voudriez, 
mon  maitre'?  Am  I  not  a  Greek,  full  of  ho- 
nour and  sensibility]  Would  you  have  the 
cooks  of  Sceira  and  Stambul  submit  to  be  in- 
sulted here  in  Spain  by  the  sons  of  counts 
rushing  into  the  temple  with  manchets  of 
bread  1  Non,  non,  mon  maitre,  you  are  too 
too  noble  to  require  that,  and,  what  is  more, 
too  just.  But  we  will  talk  of  other  things. 
Mon  maitre,  I  come  not  alone;  there  is  one 
now  waiting  in  the  corridor  anxious  to  speak 
to  you. 

Myself. — Who  is  it? 

Antonio. — One  whom  you  have  met,  mon 
maitre,  in  various  and  strange  places. 


Myself. — But  who  is  iti 

Antonio. — One  who  will  come  to  a  strange 
end,  for  so  it  is  written.  The  most  extraordi- 
nary of  all  the  Swiss,  he  of  Saint  James, — 
Der  schalz  grdher. 

Myself— N(i\.  Benedict  Mol  1 

"Faw,  mein  lieber  herr,^^  said  Benedict, 
pushing  open  the  door,  which  stood  ajar;  "it 
is  myself.  I  met  Herr  Anton  in  the  street, 
and  hearing  that  you  were  in  this  place,  I 
came  with  him  to  visit  you." 

Myself. — And,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is 
singular,  how  is  it  that  I  see  you  in  Madrid 
again  ?  I  thought  that  by  this  time  you  were 
returned  to  your  own  country. 

Benedict. — Fear  not,  lieber  herr;  I  shall 
return  thither  in  good  time;  but  not  on  foot, 
but  with  mules  and  coach.  The  schatz  is 
still  yonder,  waiting  to  be  dug  up,  and  now  I 
have  better  hope  than  ever;  plenty  of  friends, 
plenty  of  money.  See  you  not  how  I  am 
dressed,  lieber  herr? 

And  verily  his  habiliments  were  of  a  much 
more  respectable  appearance  than  any  which 
he  had  sported  on  former  occasions.  His  coat 
and  pantaloons,  which  were  of  light  green, 
were  nearly  new.  On  his  head  he  still  wore 
an  Andalusian  hat,  but  the  present  one  was 
neither  old  nor  shabby,  but  fresh  and  glossy, 
and  of  immense  altitude  of  cone;  whilst  in 
his  hand,  instead  of  the  ragged  staff  which  I 
had  observed  at  St.  James  and  Oviedo,  he 
now  carried  a  huge  bamboo  ratan,  surmount- 
ed by  the  grim  head  of  either  a  bear  or  lion, 
curiously  cut  out  of  pewter. 

"  You  have  all  the  appearance  of  a  treasure- 
seeker  returned  from  a  successful  expedition," 
I  exclaimed. 

"  Or  rather,"  interrupted  Antonio,  "  of  one 
who  has  ceased  to  trade  on  his  own  bottom, 
and  now  goes  seeking  treasures  at  the  cost 
and  expense  of  others." 

I  questioned  the  Swiss  minutely  concerning 
his  adventures  since  I  last  saw  him,  when  I 
left  him  at  Oviedo  to  pursue  my  route  to  San- 
tander.  From  his  answers  I  gathered  that  he 
had  followed  me  to  the  latter  place ;  he  was, 
however,  a  long  time  in  performing  the  jour- 
ney, being  weak  from  hunger  and  privation. 
At  Santander  he  could  hear  no  tidings  of  me, 
and  by  this  time  the  trifle  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  me  v/as  completely  exhausted. 
He  now  thought  of  making  his  way  into 
France,  but  was  afraid  to  venture  through  the 
disturbed  provinces,  lest  he  should  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  Carlists,  who  he  conceived 
might  shoot  him  as  a  spy.  No  one  relieving 
him  at  Santander,  he  departed  and  begged  his 
way  till  he  found  himself  in  some  part  of 
Aragon,  but  where  he  scarcely  knew.  "  My 
misery  was  so  great,"  said  Bennet,  "  that  I 
nearly  lost  my  senses.  Oh,  the  horror  of 
wandering  about  the  savage  hills  and  wide 
plains  of  Spain,  without  money  and  without 
hope!  Sometimes  I  became  desperate,  when 
I  found  myself  amongst  rocks  and  barrancos, 
perhaps  after  having  tasted  no  food  from  sun- 
rise to  sunset,  and  then  I  would  raise  my  staff 
towards  the  sky  and  shake  it,  crying,  LiebeK 


179 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


herr  Gott,  ach  lieber  herr  Gott,  you  must  help  [ 
me  now  or  never;  if  you  tarry,  I  am  lost;  you  | 
must  help  me  now,  now !  And  once,  when  I 
was  raving  in  this  manner,  methoughtl  heard 
a  voice,  nay,  I  am  sure  I  heard  it,  sounding 
from  the  hollow  of  a  rock,  clear  and  strong ; 
and  it  cried,  '  Der  schatz,  der  schatz,  it  is  not 
yet  dug  up;  to  Madrid,  to  Madrid  !  The  way 
to  the  schatz  is  through  Madrid.'  And  then 
the  thought  of  the  schatz  once  more  rushed 
into  my  mind,  and  I  reflected  how  happy  I 
might  be,  could  I  but  dig  up  the  schatz.  No 
more  begging  then,  no  more  wandering  amidst 
horrid  mountains  and  deserts;  so  I  brandished 
my  staff,  and  my  body  and  my  limbs  became 
full  of  new  and  surprising  strength,  and  I 
strode  forward,  and  was  not  long  before  I 
reached  the  high  road;  and  then  I  begged 
and  bettled  as  I  best  could,  until  I  reached 
Madrid." 

"And  what  has  befallen  you  since  you 
reached  Madrid'?"  I  inquired.  "Did  you  find 
the  treasure  in  the  streets]" 

On  a  sudden  Bennet  became  reserved  and 
taciturn,  which  the  more  surprised  me,  as,  up 
to  the  present  moment,  he  had  at  all  times 
been  remarkably  communicative  with  respect 
to  his  affairs  and  prospects.  From  what  I 
could  learn  from  his  broken  hints  and  inuen- 
does,  it  appeared  that,  since  his  arrival  at 
Madrid,  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  certain 
people  who  bad  treated  him  with  kindness, 


and    provided    him    both  with   money  and 

clothes;  not  from  disinterested  motives,  how- 
ever, but  having  an  eye  to  the  treasure.  "They 
expect  great  things  from  me,"  said  the  Swiss; 
"and  perhaps,  after  all,  it  would  have  been 
more  profitable  to  have  dug  up  the  treasure 
without  their  assistance,  always  provided  that 
were  possible."  Who  his  new  friends  were, 
he  either  knew  not  or  would  not  tell  me,  save 
that  they  were  people  in  power.  He  said 
something  about  Queen  Christina,  and  an  oath 
which  he  had  taken  in  the  presence  of  a  bishop 
on  the  crucifix  and  "  the  four  Evangiles."  I 
thought  that  his  head  was  turned,  and  forbore 
questioning.  Just  before  takintj  his  departure, 
he  observed,  "  Lieber  herr,  pardon  me  for  not 
being  quite  frank  towards  you,  to  whom  I  owe 
so  much,  but  I  dare  not;  I  am  not  now  my  own 
man.  It  is,  moreover,  an  evil  thing  at  all  times 
to  say  a  word  about  treasure  before  you  have 
secured  it.  There  was  once  a  man  in  my  own 
country,  who  dug  deep  into  the  earth  until  he 
arrived  at  a  copper  vessel  which  contained  a 
schatz.  Seizing  it  by  the  handle,  he  merely 
exclaimed,  in  his  transport,  'I  have  it!'  that 
was  enough,  however:  down  sank  the  kettle, 
though  the  handle  remained  in  his  grasp. 
That  was  all  he  ever  got  for  his  trouble  and 
digging.  Farewell,  lieber  herr ;  I  shall  speed- 
ily be  sent  back  to  Saint  James  to  dig  up  the 
schatz ;  but  I  will  visit  you  ere  I  go — Fare- 
well." 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


Liberation  from  Prison — The  Apology — Human  Nature — The  Greek's  Return — Church  of  Rome 
—Light  of  Scripture — Archbishop  of  Toledo — An  Interi'iew — Stones  of  Price — A  Resolution — 
The  Foreign  Language — Benedict's  Farewell — Treasure  Hunt  at  Compostella — Truth  and 
Fiction. 


I  REMAINED  about  three  weeks  in  the  pri- 
son of  Madrid,  and  then  left  it.  If  I  had 
possessed  any  pride,  or  harboured  any  rancour 
against  the  party  who  had  consigned  me  to 
durance,  the  manner  in  which  I  was  restored 
to  liberty  would  no  doubt  have  been  highly 
gratifying  to  those  evil  passions;  the  govern- 
ment having  acknowledged,  by  a  document 
transmitted  to  Sir  George,  that  I  had  been 
incarcerated  on  insufficient  grounds,  and  that 
no  stigma  attached  itself  to  me  from  the  im- 
prisonment I  had  undergone;  at  the  same 
time  agreeing  to  defray  all  the  expenses  to 
which  I  had  been  subjected  throughout  the 
progress  of  this  affair. 

It  moreover  expressed  its  willingness  to 
dismiss  the  individual  owing  to  whose  in- 
formation I  had  been  first  arrested,  namely, 
the  corchete  or  police  officer  who  had  visited 
me  in  my  apartments  in  the  Calle  de  Santi- 
ago, and  behaved  himself  in  the  manner 
which  I  have  described  in  a  former  chapter. 
I  declined,  however,  to  avail  myself  of  this 
condescension  of  the  government,  more  espe- 
cially as  I  was  informed  that  the  individual 
in  question  had  a  wife  and  family,  who,  if  he 


were  disgraced,  would  be  at  once  reduced  to 
want.  I  moreover  considered  that  in  what 
he  had  done  and  said  he  had  probably  only 
obeyed  some  private  orders  which  he  had 
received ;  I  therefore  freely  forgave  him,  and 
if  he  does  not  retain  his  situation  at  the  pre- 
sent moment,  it  is  certainly  no  fault  of  mine. 
I  likewise  refused  to  accept  any  compen- 
sation for  my  expenses,  which  were  consi- 
derable. It  is  probable  that  many  persons  in 
my  situation  would  have  acted  very  differ- 
ently in  this  respect,  and  I  am  far  from  saying 
that  herein  I  acted  discreetly  or  laudably; 
but  I  was  averse  to  receive  money  from 
people  such  as  those  of  which  the  Spanish 
government  was  composed,  people  whom  I 
confess  I  heartily  despised,  and  T  was  un- 
willing to  afford  them  an  opportunity  of  say- 
ing that  after  they  had  imprisoned  an  Eng- 
lishman unjustly,  and  without  a  cause,  he 
condescended  to  receive  money  at  their  hands. 
In  a  word,  I  confess  my  own  weakness ;  I 
was  willing  that  they  should  continue  my 
debtors,  and  have  little  doubt  that  they  had 
not  the  slightest  objection  to  remain  so :  they 
kept    their   money    and    probably    laughed 


-THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


173 


in   their  sleeves  at   my  want  of  common 

sense. 

The  heaviest  loss  which  resulted  from  my 
confinement,  and  for  which  no  indemnifica- 
tion could  be  either  offered  or  received,  was 
in  the  death  of  my  aflfectionate  and  faithful 
Basque  Francisco,  who  having  attended  me 
during  the  whole  time  of  my  imprisonment, 
caught  the  pestilential  typhus  or  jail  fever, 
which  was  then  raging  in  the  Carcel  de  la 
Corte,  of  which  he  expired  within  a  few  days 
subsequent  to  my  liberation.  His  death  oc- 
curred late  one  evening;  the  next  morning 
as  I  was  lying  in  bed  ruminating  on  my  loss, 
and  wondering  of  what  nation  my  next  ser- 
vant would  be,  I  heard  a  noise  which  seemed 
to  be  that  of  a  person  employed  vigorously  in 
cleaning  boots  or  shoes,  and  at  intervals  a 
strange  discordant  voice  singing  snatches  of 
a  song  in  some  unknown  language :  wonder- 
ing who  it  could  be,  I  rang  the  bell. 

"  Did  you  ring,  mon  maitrel"  said  Antonio, 
appearing  at  the  door  with  one  of  his  arms 
deeply  buried  in  a  boot. 

"I  certainly  did  ring,"  said  I,  "but  1 
scarcely  expected  that  you  would  have  an- 
swered the  summons." 

"Mzis  pourquoi  non,  man  maitre?^^  cried 
Antonio.  "  Who  should  serve  you  now  but 
myself]  N^esi  pas  que  le  sieur  Francois  est 
jniirt  ?  And  did  I  not  say,  as  soon  as  I  heard 
of  his  departure,  I  shall  return  to  my  func- 
tions chez  mon  maitre.  Monsieur  Georges  V 

"  I  suppose  you  had  no  other  employment, 
and  on  that  account  you  came." 

^^Au  confraire,  mon  maitre,"  replied  the 
Greek,  "  I  had  just  engaged  myself  at  the 
house  of  the  Duke  of  Frias,  from  whom  I 
was  to  receive  ten  dollars  per  month  more 
than  I  shall  accept  from  your  worship ;  but 
on  hearing  that  you  were  without  a  domestic, 
I  forthwith  told  the  Duke,  though  it  was  late 
at  night,  that  he  would  not  suit  me,  and  here 
I  am." 

"  I  shall  not  receive  you  in  this  manner," 
said  I;  "return  to  the  duke,  apologize  for 
your  behaviour,  request  your  dismission  in  a 
regular  way  ;  and  then  if  his  grace  is  willing 
to  part  with  you,  as  will  most  probably  be 
the  case,  I  shall  be  happy  to  avail  myself  of 
your  services." 

It  was  reasonable  to  expect  that  after 
having  been  subjected  to  an  imprisonment 
which  my  enemies  themselves  admitted  to  be 
unjust,  I  should  in  future  experience  more 
liberal  treatment  at  their  hands  than  that 
which  they  had  hitherto  adopted  towards  me. 
The  sole  object  of  my  ambition  at  this  time 
was  to  procure  toleration  for  the  sale  of  the 
gospel  in  this  unhappy  and  distracted  king- 
dom, and  to  have  attained  this  end  1  would 
not  only  have  consented  to  twenty  such  im- 
prisonments in  succession,  as  that  which  I 
had  undergone,  but  would  gladly  have  sacri- 
ficed life  itself.  I  soon  perceived,  however, 
that  I  was  likely  to  gain  nothing  by  my  in- 
carceration; on  the  contrary,  I  had  become 
an  object  of  personal  dislike  to  the  govern- 
jD^it  since  the  termination  of  this  affair, 


which,  it  was  probable,  I  had  never  been 
before :  their  pride  and  vanity  were  humbled 
by  the  concessions  which  they  had  been 
obliged  to  make  in  order  to  avoid  a  rupture 
with  England.  This  dislike  they  were  now 
determined  to  gratif}%  by  thwarting  my  views 
as  much  as  possible.  I  had  an  interview 
with  Ofalia  on  the  subject  uppermost  in  my 
mind  ;  I  found  him  morose  and  snappish. 
"  It  will  be  for  your  interest  to  be  still,"  said 
he ;  "  beware !  you  have  already  thrown  the 
whole  corte  into  confusion;  beware,  I  repeat ; 
another  time  you  may  not  escape  so  easily.' 
"  Perhaps  not,"  I  replied,  "  and  perhaps  I  do 
not  wish  it ;  it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  be  per- 
secuted for  the  gospel's  sake.  I  now  take 
the  liberty  of  inquiring  whether,  if  I  attempt 
to  circulate  tne  word  of  God,  I  am  to  be  in- 
terrapted."  "  Of  course ;"  exclaimed  Ofalia ; 
"the  church  forbids  such  circulation."  "I 
shall  make  the  attempt,  however,"  I  ex- 
claimed. "Do  you  mean  what  you  say]" 
demanded  Ofalia,  arching  his  eyebrows  and 
elongating  his  mouth.  "Yes,"  I  continued, 
"  I  shall  make  the  attempt  in  every  village 
in  Spain  to  which  I  can  penetrate." 

Throughout  my  residence  in  Spain  the 
clergy  were  the  party  from  which  I  expe- 
rienced the  strongest  opposition  ;  and  it  was 
at  their  instigation  that  the  government  ori- 
ginally adopted  those  measures  which  pre- 
vented any  extensive  circulation  of  the  sacred 
volume  through  the  land.  I  shall  not  detain 
the  course  of  my  narrative  with  reflections  as 
to  the  state  of  a  church,  which,  though  it  pre- 
tends to  be  founded  on  Scripture,  would  yet 
keep  the  light  of  Scripture  from  all  mankind, 
if  possible.  But  Rome  is  fully  aware  that 
she  is  not  a  Christian  church,  and  having  no 
desire  to  become  so,  she  acts  prudently  in 
keeping  from  the  eyes  of  her  followers  the 
page  which  would  reveal  to  them  the  truths 
of  Christianity.  Her  agents  and  minions 
throughout  Spain  exerted  themselves  to  the 
utmost  to  render  my  humble  labours  abortive, 
and  to  vilify  the  work  which  I  was  attempt- 
ing to  disseminate.  All  the  ignorant  and 
fanatical  clergy  (the  great  majority)  were  op- 
posed to  it,  and  all  those  who  were  anxious 
to  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  court  of  Rome 
were  loud  in  their  cry  against  it.  There  was, 
however,  one  section  of  the  clergy,  a  small 
one,  it  is  true,  rather  favourably  disposed  to- 
wards the  circulation  of  the  Gospel,  though 
by  no  means  inclined  to  make  any  particular 
sacrifice  for  the  accomplishment  of  such  an 
end  :  these  were  such  as  professed  liberalism, 
which  is  supposed  to  mean  a  disposition  to 
adopt  any  reform  both  in  civil  and  church 
matters,  which  may  be  deemed  conducive  to 
the  weal  of  the  country.  Not  a  few  amongst 
the  f?panish  clergy  were  supporters  of  this 
principle,  or  at  least  declared  themselves  so, 
some  doubtless  for  their  own  advancement, 
hoping  to  turn  the  spirit  of  the  times  to  their 
own  personal  profit ;  others,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
from  conviction,  and  a  pure  love  of  the  prin- 
ciple itself!  Amongst  these  were  to  be  found, 
at  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking,  several 
p2 


174 


THE   BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


bishops.    It  is  worthy  of  remark,  however,  1 
that  of  all  these  not  one  but  owed  his  office, 
not  to  the  Pope,  who  disowned  them  one  and  ; 
all,  but  to  the  Queen  Regent,  the  professed 
head  of  liberalism  throughout  all  Spain.     It 
is  not,  therefore,  surprising  that  men  thus  cir-  j 
cumstanced  should  feel  rather  disposed  than  j 
not  to  countenance  any  measure  or  scheme  at  j 
all  calculated  to  favour  the  advancement  of  j 
liberalism;  and  surely  such  an  one  was  the 
circulation  of  the  Scriptures.     I  derived  but 
little  assistance  from  their  good  will  however, 
supposing  that  they  entertained  some,  as  they 
never  took  any  decided  stand  nor  lifted  up 
their  voices  in  a  bold  and  positive  manner, 
denouncing  the  conduct  of  those  who  would 
withhold  the  light  of  Scripture  from  the  world. 
At  one  time  I  hoped  by  their  instrumentality 
to  accomplish  much  in  Spain  in  the  Gospel 
cause;  but  I  was  soon  undeceived,  and  be- 
came convinced  that  reliance  oa  what  they 
would  effect,  was  like  placing  the  hand  on  a 
staff  of  reed  which   will   only  lacerate  the 
flesh.      More  than  once  some  of  them  sent 
messages  to  me,  expressive  of  their  esteem, 
and  assuring  me  how  much  the  cause  of  the 
Gospel  was  dear  to  their  hearts.     I  even  re- 
ceived an  intimation  that  a  visit  from  me 
would  be  agreeable  to  the  Archbishop  of  To- 
ledo, the  Primate  of  Spain. 

Of  this  personage  I  can  say  but  little,  his 
early  history  being  entirely  unknown  to  me. 
At  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  I  believe,  he  was 
Bishop  of  Mallorca,  a  small  insignificant  see, 
of  very  scanty  revenues,  which  perhaps  he 
had  no  objection  to  exchange  for  one  more 
wealthy;  it  is  probable,  however,  that  had 
he  proved  a  devoted  servant  of  the  Pope,  and 
consequently  a  supporter  of  legitimacy,  he 
■would  have  continued  to  the  day  of  his  death 
to  fill  the  episcopal  chair  of  Mallorca ;  but 
he  was  said  to  be  a  liberal,  and  the  Queen 
Regent  thought  fit  to  bestow  upon  him  the 
dignity  of  Archbishop  of  Toledo,  by  which  he 
became  the  head  of  the  Spanish  church.  The 
Pope,  it  is  true,  had  refused  to  ratify  the 
nomination,  on  which  account  all  good  Ca- 
tholics were  still  bound  to  consider  him  as 
Bishop  of  Mallorca,  and  not  as  Primate  of 
Spain.  He  however  received  the  revenues 
belonging  to  the  see,  which,  though  only  a 
shadow  of  what  they  originally  were,  were 
still  considerable,  and  lived  in  the  primate's 
palace  at  Madrid,  so  that  if  he  were  not  arch- 
bishop de  jure,  he  was  what  many  people 
would  have  considered  much  better,  arch- 
bishop de  facto. 

Hearing  that  this  personage  was  a  personal 
friend  of  Ofalia,  who  was  said  to  entertain  a 
very  high  regard  for  him,  I  determined  upon 
paying  him  a  visit,  and  accordingly  one  morn- 
ing, betook  myself  to  the  palace  in  which  he 
resided.  I  experienced  no  difficulty  in  ob- 
taining an  interview,  being  forthwith  con- 
ducted to  his  presence  by  a  common  kind  of 
footman,  an  Asturian,  I  believe,  whom  I 
found  seated  on  a  stone  bench  in  the  entrance 
hall.  When  I  was  introduced,  the  Arch- 
bishop was  alone,  seated  behind  a  table  in  a 


large  apartment,  a  kind  of  drawing-room ;  he 
was  plainly  dressed,  in  a  black  cassock  and 
silken  cap ;  on  his  finger,  however,  glittered 
a  superb  amethyst,  the  lustre  of  which  was 
truly  dazzling.  He  rose  for  a  moment  as  1 
advanced,  and  motioned  me  to  a  chair  with 
his  hand.  He  might  be  about  sixty  years  of 
age;  his  figure  was  very  tall,  but  he  stooped 
considerably,  evidently  from  feebleness,  and 
the  pallid  hue  of  ill-health  overspread  his 
emaciated  features.  When  he  had  reseated 
himself,  he  dropped  his  head,  and  appeared  to 
be  looking  on  the  table  before  him. 

'•  I  suppose  your  lordship  knows  who  1 
am]"  said  I,  at  last  breaking  silence. 

The  Archbishop  bent  his  head  towards  the 
right  shoulder,  in  a  somewhat  equivocal  man- 
ner, but  said  nothing. 

"  I  am  he  whom  the  Manolos  of  Madrid 
call  Don  Jorgito  el  Ingles;  I  am  just  come 
out  of  prison,  whither  1  was  sent  for  circulat- 
ing my  Lord's  Gospel  in  this  kingdom  of 
Spain." 

The  Archbishop  made  the  same  equivocal 
motion  with  his  head,  but  siill  said  nothing. 

"I  was  informed  that  your  lordship  was 
desirous  of  seeing  me,  and  on  that  account  I 
have  paid  you  this  visit." 

"  I  did  not  send  for  you,"  said  the  Arch- 
bishop, suddenly  raising  his  head  with  a 
startled  look. 

"  Perhaps  not :  I  was,  however,  given  to 
understand  that  my  presence  would  be  agree- 
able: but  as  that  does  not  seem  to  be  the  case, 
I  will  leave." 

"  Since  j'ou  have  come,  1  am  very  glad  tc 
see  you." 

"/o  me  akgro mucho,''^  sdiid  I,  reseating  my 
self;  "  and  since  I  am  here,  we  may  as  well 
talk  of  an  all-important  matter,  the  circulation 
of  the  Scripture.  Does  your  lordship  see  any 
way  by  which  an  end  so  desirable  might  be 
brought  about  r'  J 

"  No,"  said  the  Archbishop  faintly.  I 

"  Does  not  your  lordship  think  that  a  know- 
ledge of  the  Scripture  would  work  inestima- 
ble benefit  in  these  realms  T" 
"  No  sc." 

"  Is  it  probable  that  the  government  may 
be  induced  to  consent  to  the  circulation  ?" 

"  Que  se  to  ?"  and  the  archbishop  looked  me 
in  the  face. 

I  looked  in  the  face  of  the  Archbishop; 
there  was  an  expression  of  helplessness  in  it, 
which  almost  amounted  to  dotage.  "  Dear 
me,"  thought  I,  "  whom  have  I  come  to  on  an 
errand  like  mine]  Poor  man,  you  are  not 
fitted  to  play  the  part  of  Martin  Luther,  and 
least  of  all  in  Spain.  I  wonder  why  your 
friends  selected  you  to  be  Archbishop  of  To- 
ledo ;  they  thought  perhaps  that  you  would 
do  neither  good  nor  harm,  and  made  choice 
of  you,  as  they  sometimes  do  primates  in  my 
own  country,  for  your  incapacity.  You  do  not 
seem  very  happy  in  your  present  situation ; 
no  very  easy  stall  this  of  yours.  You  were 
more  comfortable,  I  trow,  w  hen  you  were  the 
poor  Bishop  of  Mallorca;  could  enjoy  your 
puchera  then  without  fear  that  the  salt  would 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


175 


tarn  out  sublimate.  No  fear  then  of  being 
smothered  in  your  bed.  A  siesta  is  a  pleasant 
thing  when  one  is  not  subject  to  be  disturbed 
by  '  the  sudden  fear.'  I  wonder  whether  they 
have  poisoned  you  already,"  I  continued,  half 
aloud,  as  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  on  his  coun- 
tenance, which  methought  was  becoming 
ghastly. 

"Did  you  speak,  Don  Jorge?"  demanded 
the  Archbishop. 

*'  That  is  a  fine  brilliant  on  your  lordship's 
hand,"  said  I. 

"  You  are  fond  of  brilliants,  Don  Jorge," 
said  the  Archbishop,  his  features  brightening 
up;  "  vaya!  so  am  1 ;  they  are  pretty  things. 
Do  you  understand  them  1" 

"  I  do,"  said  I,  "  and  I  never  saw  a  finer 
brilliant  than  your  own,  one  excepted  ;  it  be- 
longed to  an  acquaintance  of  mine,  a  Tartar 
Khan.  He  did  not  bear  it  on  his  finger,  how- 
ever; it  stood  in  the  frontlet  of  his  horse, 
where  it  shone  like  a  star.  He  called  it  Daoud 
Scharr,  which,  being  interpreted,  meaneth 
light  of  war." 

"  Vaya  !"  said  the  Archbishop,  "  how  very 
extraordinary;  I  am  glad  you  are  fond  of  bril- 
liants, Don  Jorge.  Speaking  of  horses,  re- 
minds me  that  1  have  frequently  seen  you  on 
horseback.  Vaya  !  how  you  ride  ;  it  is  dan- 
gerous to  be  in  your  way." 

"  Is  your  lordship  fond  of  equestrian  exer- 
cise ?" 

'*  By  no  means,  Don  Jorge ;  I  do  not  like 
horses ;  it  is  not  the  practice  of  the  church  to 
ride  on  horseback.  We  prefer  mules:  they 
are  the  quieter  animals ;  I  fear  horses,  they 
kick  so  violently." 

"  The  kick  of  a  horse  is  death,"  said  I,  "  if 
it  touches  a  vital  part.  I  am  not,  however,  of 
your  lordship's  opinion  with  respect  to  mules ; 
a  good  ginete  may  retain  his  seat  on  a  horse 
however,  but  a  mule — vaya!  when  a  false 
mule  lira  par  detras,  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
Father  of  the  Church  himself  could  keep  the 
saddle  a  moment,  however  sharp  his  bit." 

As  I  was  going  away,  I  said,  "And  with 
respect  to  the  Gospel,  your  lordship ;  what  am 
I  to  understand  ]" 

"  No  se,"  said  the  Archbishop,  again  bend- 
ing his  head  towards  the  right  shoulder,  whilst 
his  features  resumed  their  former  vacant  ex- 
pression. And  thus  terminated  my  interview 
with  the  Archbishop  of  Toledo. 

"  It  appears  to  me,"  said  1  to  Maria  Diaz, 
on  returning  home;  "it  appears  to  me,  Mare- 
quita  mia,  that  if  the  Gospel  in  Spain  is  to 
■wait  for  toleration  until  these  liberal  bishops 
and  archbishops  come  forward  boldly  in  its 
behalf,  it  will  have  to  tarry  a  considerable 
time." 

"  I  am  much  of  your  worship's  opinion," 
answered  Maria ;  "  a  fine  thing  truly,  it  would 
be  to  wait  till  they  exerted  themselves  in  its 
behalf.  Ca !  the  idea  makes  me  smile  :  was 
your  worship  ever  innocent  enough  to  suppose 
that  they  cared  one  tittle  about  the  Gospel  or 
its  cause  1  Vaya  !  they  are  true  priests,  and 
had  only  self-interest  in  view  in  their  advances 
to  you.     The  Holy  Father  disowns  them,  and 


they  would  now  fain,  by  awaking  his  fears 
and  jealousy,  bring  him  to  some  terms  ;  but 
let  him  once  acknowledge  them,  and  see 
whether  they  would  admit  you  to  their  palaces 
or  hold  any  intercourse  with  you  :  '  Forth  with 
the  fellow,'  they  would  say  ;  '  vaya !  is  he  not 
a  Lutheran  1  Is  he  not  an  enemy  to  the  church  ? 
J  la  horca,  a  la  hurca!''  I  know  this  family 
better  than  you  do,  Don  Jorge." 

"It  is  useless  tarrying,"  said  I;  "nothing, 
however,  can  be  done  in  Madrid.  I  cannot 
sell  the  work  at  the  despacho,  and  I  have  just 
received  intelligence  that  all  the  copies  ex- 
posed for  sale  in  the  libraries  in  the  different 
parts  of  Spain  which  I  visited,  have  been  se- 
questrated by  order  of  the  government.  My  re- 
solution is  taken:  I  shall  mount  my  horses, 
which  are  neighing  in  the  stable,  and  betake 
myself  to  the  villages  and  plains  of  dusty 
Spain.  Al campo,  al  campo:  'Ride  forth  be- 
cause of  the  word  of  righteousness,  and  thy 
right  hand  shall  show  thee  terrible  things.'  I 
will  ride  forth,  Maria." 

"  Your  worship  can  do  no  better;  and  allow 
me  here  to  tell  you,  that  for  every  single  book 
you  might  sell  in  a  despacho  in  the  city,  you 
may  dispose  of  one  hundred  amongst  the  vil- 
lages, always  provided  you  offer  them  cheap  ; 
for  in  the  country  money  is  rather  scant. 
Vaya  !  should  I  not  know  ?  Am  I  not  a  vil- 
lager myself,  a  villana  from  the  Sagral  Ride 
forth,  therefore  ;  your  horses  are  neighing  in 
the  stall,  as  your  worship  says,  and  you  might 
almost  have  added  that  the  Senor  Antonio  is 
neighing  in  the  house.  He  says  he  has  no- 
thing to  do,  on  which  account  he  is  once  more 
dissatisfied  and  unsettled.  He  finds  fault 
with  every  thing,  but  more  particularly  with 
myself.  This  morning  I  saluted  him,  and  he 
made  me  no  reply,  but  twisted  his  mouth  in 
a  manner  very  uncommon  in  this  land  of 
Spain." 

"  A  thought  strikes  me,"  said  I ;  "  you  have 
mentioned  the  Sagra;  why  should  not  I  com- 
mence my  lal«urs  amongst  the  villages  of 
that  district  ■?" 

"  Your  worship  can  do  no  better,"  replied 
Maria ;  "  the  harvest  is  just  over  there,  you 
will  find  the  people  comparatively  unemploy- 
ed, with  leisure  to  attend  and  listen  to  you  ; 
and  if  you  follow  my  advice,  you  will  estab- 
lish yourself  at  the  Villa  Seca,  in  the  house  of 
my  fathers,  where  at  present  lives  my  lord  and 
husband.  Go,  therefore,  to  Villa  Seca  in 
the  first  place,  and  from  thence  you  can  sally 
forth  with  the  Senor  Antonio  upon  your  ex- 
cursions. Peradventure,  my  husband  will 
accompany  you  ;  and  if  so,  you  will  find  him 
highly  useful.  The  people  of  Villa  Seca  art, 
civil  and  courteous, your  worship;  when  they 
address  a  foreigner,  they  speak  to  him  at  the 
top  of  their  voice  and  in  Gallegan." 

"  In  Gallegan !"  I  exclaimed. 

"They  all  understand  a  few  words  of  Gal- 
lecran,  which  they  have  acquired  from  the 
mountaineers,  who  occasionally  assist  them 
in  cutting  the  harvest;  and  as  Gallegan  is 
the  only  foreign  language  they  know,  they 
deem  it  but  polite  to  address  a  foreigner  ia 


17« 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


that  tongue.     Vaya !  it  is  not  a  bad  village,  ' 
that  of  Villa  tsesa,  nor  are  the  people ;  the 
only  ill-conditioned  person  living  there  is  his 
reverence  the  curate." 

I  was  not  long  in  making  preparations  for 
my  enterprise.  A  considerable  stock  of  Tes- 
taments were  sent  forward  by  an  arriero,  I 
myself  followed  the  next  day.  Before  my 
departure,  however,  I  received  a  visit  from 
Benedict  Mol. 

"I  am  come  to  bid  you  farewell,  lieber 
herr;  to-morrow  1  return  to  Compostella." 

"  On  what  errand  V 

"  To  dig  up  the  schatz,  lieber  herr.  For 
what  else  should  I  go?  For  what  have  I 
lived  until  now,  but  that  I  may  dig  up  the 
schatz  in  the  endl" 

"  You  might  have  lived  for  something  bet- 
ter," I  exclaimed.  "I  wish  you  success, 
however.  But  on  what  grounds  do  you 
hope]  Have  you  obtained  permission  to 
dig]  Surely  you  remember  your  former 
trials  in  Galicial" 

"  I  have  not  forgotten  them  lieber  herr,  nor 
the  journey  to  Oviedo,  nor  '  the  seven  acorns,' 
nor  the  fight  with  death  in  the  barranco.  But 
I  must  accomplish  my  destiny.  I  go  now  to 
Galicia,  as  is  becoming  a  Swiss,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  government,  with  coach  and 
mule ;  I  mean  in  the  galera.  I  am  to  have 
all  the  help  I  require,  so  that  I  can  dig  down 
to  the  earth's  centre  if  I  think  fit.  I — but  1 
must  not  tell  your  worship,  for  I  am  sworn 
on  '  the  four  Evangiles,'  not  to  tell." 

"Well,  Benedict,  I  have  nothing  to  say, 
save  that  I  hope  you  will  succeed  in  your 
digging." 

"  Thank  you,  lieber  herr,  thank  you ;  and 
now  farewell.  Succeed  !  I  shall  succeed  !" 
Here  he  stopped  short,  started,  and  looking 
upon  me  with  an  expression  of  countenance 
almost  wild,  he  exclaimed :  "  Heiliger  Gott ! 
I  forgot  one  thing.  Suppose  I  should  not  find 
the  treasure  after  all." 

"Very  rationally  said;  pity,  though,  that 
you  did  not  think  of  that  contingency  till 
now.  I  tell  you,  my  friend,  that  you  have 
engaged  in  a  most  desperate  undertaking.  It 
is  true  that  you  may  find  a  treasure.  The 
chances  are,  however,  a  hundred  to  one  that 
you  do  not ;  and  in  that  event,  what  will  be 
your  situation  ?  You  will  be  looked  upon  as 
an  impostor,  and  the  consequences  may  be 
horrible  to  you.  Remember  where  you  are, 
and  amongst  whom  you  are.  The  Spaniards 
are  a  credulous  people,  but  let  them  once  sus- 
pect that  they  have  been  imposed  upon,  and 
above  all  laughed  at,  and  their  thirst  for 
vengeance  knows  no  limit.  Think  not  that 
your  innocence  will  avail  you.  That  you  are 
no  impostor  I  feel  convinced  ;  but  they  would 
never  believe  it.  It  is  not  too  late.  Return 
your  fine  clothes  and  magic  rattan  to  those 
from  whom  you  had  them.  Put  on  your  old 
garments,  grasp  your  ragged  staff,  and  come 
•with  me  to  the  Sagra,  to  assist  in  circulating 
the  illustrious  Gospel  amongst  the  rustics  on 
the  Tagus'  bank." 

Benedict  mused  for  a  moment,  then  shaking 


his  head,  he  cried,  "  No,  no,  I  must  accom- 
plish my  destiny.  The  schatz  is  not  yet  dug 
up.  So  said  the  voice  in  the  barranco.  To- 
morrow to  Compostella.  I  shall  find  it — the 
schatz — it  is  still  there — it  must  be  there." 

He  went,  and  I  never  saw  him  more. 
What  I  heard,  however,  was  extraordinary 
enough.  It  appeared  that  the  government 
had  listened  to  his  tale,  and  had  been  so 
struck  with  Bennet's  exaggerated  descrip- 
tion of  the  buried  treasure,  that  they  imagined 
that,  by  a  little  trouble  and  outlay,  gold  and 
diamonds  might  be  dug  up  at  Saint  James 
sufficient  to  enrich  themselves  and  to  pay  off 
the  national  debt  of  Spain.  The  Swiss  re- 
turned to  Compostella  "like  a  duke,"  to  use 
his  own  words.  The  affair,  which  had  at 
first  been  kept  a  profound  secret,  was  speedi 
ly  divulged.  It  was,  indeed,  resolved  tha 
the  investigation,  which  involved  conse- 
quences of  so  much  importance,  should  take 
place  in  a  manner  the  most  public  and  im- 
posing. A  solemn  festival  was  drawing 
nigh,  and  it  was  deemed  expedient  that  the 
search  should  take  place  upon  that  day. 
The  day  arrived.  All  the  bells  in  Compos- 
tella pealed.  The  whole  populace  thronged 
from  their  houses;  a  thousand  troops  were 
drawn  up  in  the  square ;  the  expectation  of 
all  was  wound  up  to  the  highest  pitch.  A 
procession  directed  its  course  to  the  church 
of  San  Roque ;  at  its  head  was  the  captain- 
general  and  the  Swiss,  brandishing  in  his 
hand  the  magic  rattan,  close  behind  walked 
the  meiga,  the  Gallcgan  witch-wife,  by  whom 
the  treasure-seeker  had  been  originally  guided 
in  the  search;  numerous  masons  brought  up 
the  rear,  bearing  implements  to  break  up  the 
ground.  The  procession  enters  the  church, 
they  pass  through  it  in  solemn  march,  they 
find  themselves  in  a  vaulted  passage.  The 
Swiss  looks  around.  "  Dig  here,"  said  he 
suddenly.  "  Yes,  dig  here,"  said  the  meiga. 
The  masons  labour,  the  floor  is  broken  up,— 
a  horrible  and  fetid  odour  arises.     .     .     . 

Enough ;  no  treasure  was  found,  and  my 
warning  to  the  unfortunate  Swiss  turned  out 
but  too  prophetic.  He  was  forthwith  seized 
and  flung  into  the  horrid  prison  of  Saint 
James,  amidst  the  execrations  of  thousands, 
who  would  have  gladly  torn  him  limb  from 
limb. 

The  affair  did  not  terminate  here.  The 
political  opponents  of  the  government  did 
not  allow  so  favourable  an  opportunity  to 
escape  for  launching  the  shafts  of  ridicule. 
The  Moderados  were  taunted  in  the  cortes 
for  their  avarice  and  credulity,  whilst  the 
liberal  press  waft«d  on  its  wings  through 
Spain  the  story  of  the  treasure-hunt  at  Saint 
James. 

"After  all,  it  was  a  irampa  of  Don  Jorge's," 
said  one  of  my  enemies.  "That  fellow  is  at 
the  bottom  of  half  the  picardias  which  hap- 
pen in  Spain." 

Eager  to  learn  the  fate  of  the  Swiss,  I  wrote 
to  my  old  friend  Rey  Romero,  at  Compostella. 
In  his  answer  he  states :  "  I  saw  the  Swiss 
in  prison,  to  which  place  he  sent  for  me. 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


1T7 


•raving  my  assistance,  for  the  sake  of  the 
friendship  which  I  bore  to  you.  But  how 
could  I  help  him?  He  was  speedily  after 
removed  from  Saint  James,  I  know  not  whi- 
ther. It  is  said  that  he  disappeared  on  the 
road." 


Truth  is  sometimes  stranger  than  fiction. 
Where  in  the  whole  cycle  of  romance  shall 
we  find  any  thing  more  wild,  grotesque,  and 
sad,  than  the  easily  authenticated  history  of 
Benedict  Mol,  the  treasure-digger  of  Saint 
James  1 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Villa  Seca — Moorish  House — The  Puchera — The  Rustic  Council — Polite  Ceremonial — The  Flower 
of  Spain — The  Bridge  of  Azeca — The  Ruined  Castle — Taking  the  Field — Demand  for  the  Word— 
The  old  Peasant — The  Curate  and  Blacksmith — Cheapness  of  the  Scriptures. 


It  was  one  of  the  most  fiercely  hot  days  in 
•which  I  ever  braved  the  sun,  when  I  arrived  at 
Villa  Seca.  The  heat  in  the  shade  must  have 
amounted  at  least  to  one  hundred  degrees,  and 
the  entire  atmosphere  seemed  to  consist  of 
flickering  flame.  At  a  place  called  Leganez, 
six  leagues  from  Madrid,  and  about  half-way  to 
Toledo,  we  diverged  from  the  highway,  bend- 
ing our  course  seemingly  towards  the  south- 
east. We  rode  over  what  are  called  plains  in 
Spain,  but  which,  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world,  would  be  called  undulating  and  broken 
ground.  The  crops  of  corn  and  barley  had 
already  disappeared.  The  last  vestiges  dis- 
coverable bemg  here  and  there  a  few  sheaves, 
which  the  labourers  were  occupied  in  removing 
to  their  garners  in  the  villages.  The  country 
could  scarcely  be  called  beautiful,  being  per- 
fectly naked,  exhibiting  neither  trees  nor  ver- 
dure. It  was  not,  however,  without  its  pre- 
tensions to  grandeur  and  magnificence,  like 
every  part  of  Spain.  The  most  prominent 
objects  were  two  huge  calcareous  hills,  or  ra- 
ther one  cleft  in  twain,  which  towered  up  on 
high ;  the  summit  of  the  nearest  being  sur- 
mounted by  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  castle, 
that  of  Vil laluenga.  About  an  hour  past  noon 
we  reached  Villa  Seca. 

We  found  it  a  large  village,  containing 
about  seven  hundred  inhabitants,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  mud  wall.  A  plaza  or  market- 
place, stood  in  the  midst,  one  side  of  which  is 
occupied  by  what  is  called  a  palace,  a  clumsy 
quadrangular  building  of  two  stories,  belong- 
ing to  some  noble  family,  the  lords  of  the 
neighbouring  soil.  It  was  deserted,  how- 
ever, being  only  occupied  by  a  kind  of  stew- 
ard, who  stored  up  in  its  chambers  the  grain 
which  he  received  as  rent  from  the  tenants  and 
villanos  who  farmed  the  surrounding  district. 

The  village  stands  at  the  distance  of  about 
a  quarter  of  a  league  from  the  bank  of  the 
Tagus,  which  even  here,  in  the  heart  of  Spain, 
is  a  beautiful  stream,  not  navigable  however, 
on  account  of  the  sand-banks,  which  in  many 
places  assume  the  appearance  of  small  islands, 
and  are  covered  with  trees  and  brushwood. 
The  village  derives  its  supply  of  water  entire- 
ly from  the  river,  having  none  of  its  own, 
such  at  least  as  is  potable,  the  water  of  its 
wells  being  all  brackish,  on  which  account  it 
is  probably  termed  Villa  Seca,  which  sign!- 
23 


fies  "  the  dry  hamlet."  The  inhabitants  are 
said  to  have  been  originally  Moors  ;  certain  it 
is,  that  various  customs  are  observable  here 
highly  favourable  to  such  a  supposition. 
Amongst  others  a  very  curious  one :  it  is 
deemed  infamous  for  a  woman  of  Villa  Seca 
to  go  across  the  market-place,  or  to  be  seen 
there,  though  they  have  no  hesitation  in  show- 
ing themselves  in  the  streets  and  lanes.  A 
deep-rooted  hostility  exists  between  the  inha- 
bitants of  this  place  and  those  of  a  neigh- 
bouring village,  called  Vargas ;  they  rarely 
speak  when  they  meet,  and  never  intermarry. 
There  is  a  vague  tradition  that  the  people  of 
the  latter  place  are  old  Christians,  and  it  is 
highly  probable  that  these  neighbours  were 
originally  of  widely  different  blood  ;  those  of 
Villa  Seca  being  of  particularly  dark  com- 
plexions, whilst  the  indwellers  of  Vargas  are 
light  and  fair.  Thus  the  old  feud  between 
Moor  and  Christian  is  still  kept  up  in  the 
nineteenth  century  in  Spain. 

Drenched  in  perspiration,  which  fell  from 
our  brows  like  rain,  we  arrived  at-the  door  of 
Juan  Lopez,  the  husband  of  Maria  Diaz. 
Having  heard  of  our  intention  to  pay  him  a 
visit,  he  was  expecting  us,  and  cordially  wel- 
comed us  to  his  habitation,  which,  like  a  genu- 
ine Moorish  house,  consisted  only  of  one 
story.  It  was  amply  large,  however,  with  a 
court  and  stable.  All  the  apartments  were 
deliciously  cool.  The  floors  were  of  brick  or 
stone,  and  the  narrow  and  trellissed  windows, 
which  were  without  glass,  scarcely  permitted 
a  ray  of  sun  to  penetrate  into  the  interior. 

A  puchera  had  been  prepared  in  expectation 
of  our  arrival ;  the  heat  had  not  taken  away 
my  appetite,  and  it  was  not  long  before  I  did 
full  justice  to  this  the  standard  dish  of  Spain. 
Whilst  I  ate,  Lopez  played  upon  the  guitar, 
singing  occasionally  snatches  of  Andalusian 
songs.  He  was  a  short,  merry-faced,  active 
fellow,  whom  I  had  frequently  seen  at  Madrid, 
and  was  a  good  specimen  of  the  Spanish  la- 
brador  or  yeoman.  Though  far  from  possessing 
the  ability  and  intellect  of  his  wife,  Maria  Diaz, 
he  was  by  no  means  deficient  in  shrewaness 
and  understanding.  He  was,  moreover,  ho- 
nest and  disinterested,  and  performed  good 
service  in  the  Gospel  cause,  as  will  presently 
appear. 

When  the  repast  was  concluded,  Lopez  thus 


178 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


addressed  me : — "  Senor  Don  Jorge,  your  arri- 1 
val  in  our  village  has  already  caused  a  sensa-  { 
tion,  more  especially  as  these  are  times  of  war  ; 
and  tumult,and  every  person  is  afraid  of  another,  j 
and  we  dwell  here  close  to  the  confines  of  the 
factious  country  ;  for,  as  you  well  know,  the 
greater  part  of  La  Mancha  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  Carlinos  and  thieves,  parties  of  whom 
frequently  show  themselves  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river  :  on  which  account  the  alcalde  of 
this  city,  with  the  other  grave  and  notable 
people  thereof,  are  desirous  of  seeing  your 
worship,  and  conversing  with  you,  and  of  exa- 
mining your  passport."  "  It  is  well,"  said  I ; 
"  let  us  forthwith  pay  a  visit  to  these  worthy 
people.'*  Whereupon  he  conducted  me  across 
the  plaza,  to  the  house  of  the  alcalde,  where 
I  found  the  rustic  dignitary  seated  in  the  pas- 
sage, enjoying  the  refreshing  coolness  of  a 
draught  of  air  which  rushed  through.  He 
was  an  elderly  man,  of  about  sixty,  with  no- 
thing remarkable  in  his  appearance  or  his  fea- 
tures, which  latter  were  placid  and  good-hu- 
moured. There  were  several  people  with 
him,  amongst  whom  was  the  surgeon  of  the 
place,  a  tall  and  immensely  bulky  man,  an 
Alavese  by  birth,  from  the  town  of  Vitoria. 
There  was  also  a  red,  fiery-faced  individual, 
with  a  nose  very  much  turned  on  one  side, 
who  was  the  blacksmith  of  the  village,  and 
was  called  in  general.  El  Tuerto,  from  the 
circumstance  of  his  having  but  one  eye. 
Making  the  assembly  a  low  bow,  I  pulled  out 
my  passport,  and  thus  addressed  them : — 

"  Grave  men  and  cavaliers  of  this  city  of 
Villa  Seca,  as  I  am  a  stranger,  of  whom  it  is 
not  possible  that  you  should  know  any  thing, 
I  have  deemed  it  my  duty  to  present  myself 
before  you,  and  to  tell  you  who  I  am.  Know, 
then,  that  I  am  an  Englishman  of  good  blood 
and  fathers,  travelling  in  these  countries  for  my 
own  profit  and  diversion,  and  for  that  of  other 
people  also.  I  have  now  found  my  way  to 
Villa  Seca,  where  I  propose  to  stay  some 
time,  doing  that  which  may  be  deemed  con- 
venient; sometimes  riding  across  the  plain, 
and  sometimes  bathing  myself  in  the  waters 
of  the  river,  which  are  reported  to  be  of  ad- 
vantage in  times  of  heat.  I  therefore  beg 
that,  during  my  sojourn  in  this  capital,  I  may 
enjoy  such  countenance  and  protection  from 
its  governors  as  they  are  in  the  habit  of  afford- 
ing to  those  who  are  of  quiet  and  well-ordered 
life,  and  are  disposed  to  be  buxom  and  obe- 
dient to  the  customs  and  laws  of  the  re- 
public." 

"  He  speaks  well,"  said  the  alcalde,  glanc- 
ing around. 

"Yes,  he  speaks  well,"  said  the  bulky 
Alavese;  "  there  is  no  denying  it." 

"  I  never  heard  any  one  speak  better,"  cried 
the  blacksmith,  starting  up  from  a  stool  on 
which  he  was  seated.  "  Vaya  !  he  is  a  big 
man  and  a  fair  complexioned,  like  myself.  I 
like  him,  and  have  a  horse  that  will  just  suit 
him ;  one  that  is  the  flower  of  Spain,  and  is 
eight  inches  above  the  mark." 

I  then,  with  another  bow,  presented  my 
passport  to  the  alcalde,  who,  with  a  gentle 


motion  of  his  hand,  appeared  to  decline  taking 
it.  at  the  same  time  saying,  "It  is  not  neces- 
sary." "  Oh,  not  at  all,"  exclaimed  the  sur- 
geon. "The  housekeepers  of  Villa  Seca 
know  how  to  comport  themselves  with  for- 
mality," observed  the  blacksmith.  "They 
would  be  very  loth  to  harbour  any  suspicion 
against  a  cavalier  so  courteous  and  well 
spoken."  Knowingr,  however,  that  this  refusal 
amounted  to  nothing,  and  that  it  merely 
formed  part  of  a  polite  ceremonial,  I  proffered 
the  passport  a  second  time,  whereupon  it  was 
instantly  taken,  and  in  a  moment  the  eyes  of 
all  present  were  bent  upon  it  with  intense 
curiosity.  It  was  examined  from  top  to  bot- 
tom, and  turned  round  repeatedly,  and  though 
it  is  not  probable  that  an  individual  present 
understood  a  word  of  it,  it  being  written  in 
French,  it  gave  nevertheless  universal  satis- 
faction ;  and  when  the  alcalde,  carefully  fold- 
ing it  up,  returned  it  to  me,  they  all  observed 
that  they  had  never  seen  a  better  passport  in 
their  lives,  or  one  which  spake  in  higher  terms 
of  the  bearer. 

Who  was  it  said  that  "Cervantes  sneered 
Spain's  chivalry  awayl"  I  know  not;  and 
the  author  of  such  a  line  scarcely  deserves  to 
be  remembered.  How  the  rage  for  scribbling 
tempts  people  at  the  present  day  to  write 
about  lands  and  nations  of  which  they  know 
nothing,  or  worse  than  nothing.  Vaya  !  it  is 
not  from  having  seen  a  bull-fight  at  Seville  or 
Madrid,  or  having  spent  a  handful  of  ounces 
at  a  pasada  in  either  of  these  places,  kept 
perhaps  by  a  Genoese  or  a  Frenchman,  that 
you  are  competent  to  write  about  such  a  peo- 
ple as  the  Spaniards,  and  to  tell  the  world  how 
they  think,  how  they  speak,  and  how  they 
act.  Spain's  chivalry  sneered  away  !  W  hy 
there  is  every  probability  that  the  great  body 
of  the  Spanish  nation  speak,  think,  and  live 
precisely  as  their  forefathers  did  six  centuries 
ago. 

In  the  evening  the  blacksmith,  or,  as  he 
would  be  called  in  Spanish,  El  Herrador, 
made  his  appearance  at  the  door  of  Lopez  on 
horseback.  "  Vamos.  Don  Jorge,"  he  shouted. 
"  Come  with  me,  if  your  worship  is  disposed 
for  a  ride.  I  am  going  to  bathe  my  horse  in 
the  Tagus,  by  the  bridge  of  Azeca."  I  in- 
stantly saddled  my  jaca  Cordovesa,  and  join- 
ing him,  we  rode  out  of  the  village,  directing 
our  course  across  the  plain  towards  the  river. 
"Did  you  ever  see  such  a  horse  as  this  of 
mine,  Don  Jorge  1"  he  demanded.  "Is  he 
not  a  jewel — an  alajal"  And  in  truth  the 
horse  was  a  noble  and  gallant  creature,  in 
height  at  least  sixteen  hands,  broad  chested, 
but  of  clean  and  elegant  limbs.  His  neck 
was  superbly  arched,  and  his  head  towered 
on  high,  like  that  of  a  swan.  In  colour  he 
was  a  bright  chestnut,  save  his  flowing  mane 
and  tail,  which  were  almost  black.  I  ex- 
pressed my  admiration,  whereupon  the  herra- 
dor, in  high  spirits,  pressed  his  heels  to  the 
creature's  sides,  and  flinging  the  bridle  on  its 
neck,  speeded  over  the  plain  with  prodigious 
swiftness,  shouting  the  old  Spanish  cry,  Ci- 
erra !    I  attempted  to  keep  up  with  him,  but 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


179 


had  not  a  chance.  "  I  call  him  the  flower  of 
Spain,"  said  the  herrador,  rejoining  me. 
"Purchase  him,  Don  Jorge,  his  price  is  hut 
three  thousand  reals.*  I  would  not  sell  him 
for  double  that  sum,  but  the  Carlist  thieves 
have  their  eyes  upon  him,  and  I  am  apprehen- 
sive that  they  will  some  day  make  a  dash 
across  the  river  and  break  into  Villa  Seca,  all 
to  get  possession  of  my  horse,  '  The  Flower 
of  Spain.'  " 

It  may  be  as  well  to  observe  here,  that 
within  a  month  of  this  period,  my  friend  the 
herrador,  not  being  able  to  find  a  regular  pur- 
chaser for  his  steed,  entered  into  negotiations 
with  the  aforesaid  thieves  respecting  him,  and 
finally  disposed  of  the  animal  to  their  leader, 
receiving  not  the  three  thousand  reals  he  de- 
manded, but  an  entire  herd  of  horned  cattle, 
probably  driven  from  the  plains  of  La  Mancha. 
For  this  transaction,  which  was  neither  more 
nor  less  than  high  treason,  he  was  cast  into 
the  prison  of  Toledo,  where,  however,  he  did 
not  continue  long :  for  during  a  short  visit  to 
Villa  Seca,  which  I  made  in  the  spring  of  the 
following  year,  I  found  him  alcalde  of  that 
"republic." 

We  arrived  at  the  bridge  of  Azeca,  which 
is  about  half  a  league  from  Villa  Seca;  close 
beside  it  is  a  large  water-mill,  standing  upon 
a  dam  which  crosses  the  river.  Dismounting 
from  his  steed,  the  herrador  proceeded  to  di- 
vest it  of  the  saddle,  then  causing  it  to  enter 
the  mill-pool  he  led  it  by  means  of  a  cord  to 
a  perticular  spot,  where  the  water  reached 
half  way  up  its  neck,  then  fastening  the  cord 
to  a  post  on  the  bank,  he  left  the  animal  stand- 
ing in  the  pool.  I  thought  I  could  do  no  bet- 
ter than  follow  his  example,  and  accordingly, 
procuring  a  rope  from  the  mill,  I  led  my  own 
horse  into  the  water.  "  It  will  refresh  their 
blood,  Don  Jorge,"  said  the  herrador;  "let 
us  leave  them  there  for  an  hour,  whilst  we  go 
and  divert  ourselves." 

Near  the  bridge,  on  the  side  of  the  river  on 
which  we  were,  was  a  kind  of  guard-house, 
where  were  three  carbineers  of  the  revenue, 
who  collected  the  tolls  of  the  bridge ;  we  en- 
tered into  conversation  with  them:  "Is  not 
this  a  dangerous  position  of  yours,"  said  I  to 
one  of  them,  who  was  a  Catalan;  "close  be- 
side the  factious  country  ]  Surely  it  would 
not  be  difficult  for  a  body  of  the  Carlinos  or 
bandits  to  dash  across  the  bridge  and  make 
prisoners  of  you  all." 

"  It  would  be  easy  enough  at  any  moment, 
Cavalier,"  replied  the  Catalan;  "we  are, 
however,  all  in  the  hands  of  God,  and  he  has 
preserved  us  hitherto,  and  perhaps  still  will. 
True  it  is  that  one  of  our  number,  for  there 
were  four  of  us  originally,  fell  the  other  day 
into  the  hands  of  the  canaille  :  he  had  wan- 
dered across  the  bridge  amongst  the  thickets 
with  his  gun  in  search  of  a  hare  or  rabbit, 
when  three  or  four  of  them  fell  upon  him  and 
put  him  to  death  in  a  manner  too  horrible  to 
relate.  But  patience!  every  man  who  lives 
must  die.     I  shall  not  sleep  the  worse  to-night 

*  About  thirty  pounds. 


because  I  may  chance  to  be  hacked  by  the 
knives  of  these  malvados  to-morrow.  Cava- 
lier, I  am  from  Barcelona,  and  have  seen  there 
mariners  of  your  nation  ;  this  is  not  so  good 
a  country  as  Barcelona.  Paciencia  !  Cava- 
lier, if  you  will  step  into  our  house,  I  will  give 
you  a  glass  of  water;  we  have  some  that  is 
cool,  for  we  dug  a  deep  hole  in  the  earth  and 
buried  there  our  pitcher;  it  is  cool,  as  1  told 
you,  but  the  water  of  Castile  is  not  like  that 
of  Catalonia." 

The  moon  had  arisen  when  we  mounted  our 
horses  to  return  to  the  village,  and  the  rays  of 
the  beauteous  luminary  danced  merrily  on  the 
rushing  waters  of  theTagus,  silvered  the  plain 
over  which  we  were  passing,  and  bathed  in  a 
flood  of  brightness  the  bold  sides  of  the  cal- 
careous hill  of  Villaluenga  and  the  antique 
ruins  which  crowned  its  brow.  "Why  i? 
that  place  called  the  Castle  of  Villaluenga?" 
I  demanded. 

"  From  a  village  of  that  name,  which  stands 
on  the  other  side  of  the  hill,  Don  Jorge,"  re- 
plied the  herrador.  "  Vaya !  it  is  a  strange 
place,  that  castle :  some  say  it  was  built  by 
the  Moors  in  the  olden  times,  and  some  by 
the  Christians  when  they  first  laid  siege  to 
Toledo.  It  is  not  inhabited  now,  save  by 
rabbits,  which  breed  there  in  abundance 
amongst  the  long  grass  and  broken  stones, 
and  by  eagles  and  vultures,  which  build  on 
the  tops  of  the  towers;  I  occasionally  go  there 
with  my  gun  to  shoot  a  rabbit.  On  a  fine  day, 
you  may  descry  both  Toledo  and  Madrid  from 
its  walls.  I  cannot  say  I  like  the  place,  it  is 
so  dreary  and  melancholy.  The  hill  on  which 
it  stands  is  all  of  chalk,  and  is  very  difficult 
of  ascent.  I  heard  my  grandame  say  that 
once,  when  she  was  a  girl,  a  cloud  of  smoke 
burst  from  that  hill,  and  that  flames  of  fire 
were  seen,  just  as  if  it  contained  a  volcano, 
as  perhaps  it  does,  Don  Jorge." 

The  grand  work  of  Scripture  circulation 
soon  commenced  in  the  Sagra.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  heat  of  the  weather,  I  rode  about  in 
all  directions.  It  was  well  that  heat  agrees 
with  my  constitution,  otherwise  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  eflfect  any  thing  in  this 
season,  when  the  very  arrieros  frequently  fall 
dead  from  their  mules,  smitten  by  a  sun-stroke. 
I  had  an  excellent  assistant  in  Antonio,  who, 
disregarding  the  heat  like  myself,  and  afraid 
of  nothing,  visited  several  villages  with  re- 
markable success.  "  Mon  mailre,"  said  he, 
"I  wish  to  show  you  that  nothing  is  beyond 
my  capacity."  But  he  who  put  the  labours 
of  us  both  to  shame,  was  my  host,  Juan  Lo- 
pez, whom  it  had  pleased  the  Lord  to  render 
favourable  to  the  cause.  "  Don  Jorge,"  said 
he,  "  to  quiero  engancharme  con  usted  (I  wish 
to  enlist  with  you);  I  am  a  liberal,  and  a 
foe  to  superstition  ;  I  will  take  the  field,  and, 
if  necessary,  will  follow  you  to  the  end  of  the 
world  :  Fiva  Tngalaterra ;  viva  el  JEvangeliu." 
Thus  saying,  he  put  a  large  bundle  of  Testa- 
ments into  a  satchel,  and  springing  upon  the 
crupper  of  his  gray  donkey,  he  cried  ^^  Jrrhe 
burra"  and  hastened  away.  I  sat  down  to 
my  journal. 


180 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


Ere  I  had  finished  writing,  I  heard  the  voice 
of  the  burra  in  the  court-yard,  and  going  out 
1  found  my  host  returned.  He  had  disposed 
of  his  whole  cargo  of  twenty  Testaments  at 
the  village  of  Vargas,  distant  from  Villa  Seca 
about  a  league.  Eight  poor  harvest  men,  who 
were  refreshing  themselves  at  the  door  of  a 
■wine-house,  purchased  each  a  copy,  whilst 
the  village  school-master  secured  the  rest  for 
the  little  ones  beneath  his  care,  lamenting,  at 
the  same  time,  the  great  difficulty  he  had  long 
experienced  in  obtaining  religious  books, 
owing  to  their  scarcity  and  extravagant  price. 
Many  other  persons  were  also  anxious  to  pur- 
chase Testaments,  but  Lopez  was  unable  to 
supply  them :  at  his  departure,  they  requested 
him  to  return  within  a  few  days. 

I  was  aware  that  I  was  playing  rather  a 
daring  game,  and  that  it  was  very  possible 
thatwhen  Ileastexpected  it,I  might  be  seized, 
tied  to  the  tail  of  a  mule,  and  dragged  either 
to  the  prison  of  Toledo  or  Madrid.  Yet  such 
a  prospect  did  not  discourage  me  in  the  least, 
but  rather  urged  me  to  persevere  ;  for  at  this 
time,  without  the  slightest  wish  to  magnify 
myself,  I  could  say  that  I  was  eager  to  lay 
down  my  life  for  the  cause,  and  whether  a 
bandit's  bullet  or  the  gaol  fever  brought  my 
career  to  a  close,  was  a  matter  of  indifference 
to  me ;  I  was  not  then  a  stricken  man :  "  Ride 
on  because  of  the  word  of  righteousness,"  was 
my  cry. 

The  news  of  the  arrival  of  the  book  of  life 
soon  spread  like  wild-fire  through  the  villages 
of  the  Sagraof  Toledo,  and  wherever  my  peo- 
ple and  myself  directed  our  course  we  found 
the  inhabitants  disposed  to  receive  our  mer- 
chandise; it  was  even  called  for  where  not 
exhibited.  One  night  as  I  was  bathing  my- 
self and  horse  in  the  Tagus,  a  knot  of  people 
gathered  on  the  bank,  crying,  "  Come  out  of 
the  water.  Englishman,  and  give  us  books ; 
we  have  got  our  money  in  our  hands."  The 
poor  creatures  then  held  out  their  hands,  filled 
with  cuartos,  a  copper  coin  of  the  value  of  a 
farthing,  but  unfortunately  I  had  no  Testa- 
ments to  give  them.  Antonio,  however,  who 
was  at  a  short  distance,  having  exhibited  one, 
it  was  instantly  torn  from  his  hands  by  the 
people,  and  a  scuffle  ensued  to  obtain  posses- 
sion of  it.  It  very  frequently  occurred,  that 
the  poor  labourers  in  the  neighbourhood,  being 
eager  to  obtain  Testaments,  and  having  no 
money  to  offer  us  in  exchange,  brought  vari- 
ous articles  to  our  habitation  as  equivalents ; 
for  example,  rabbits,  fruit,  and  barley,  and  I 
made  a  point  never  to  disappoint  them,  as 
such  articles  were  of  utility  either  for  our  own 
consumption  or  that  of  the  horses. 

In  Villa  Seca  there  was  a  school  in  which 
fifty-seven  children  were  taught  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  education.  One  morning  the  school- 
master, a  tall  slim  figure  of  about  sixty,  bear- 
ing on  his  head  one  of  the  peaked  hats  of  An- 
dalusia, and  wrapped,  notwithstanding  the 
excessive  heat  of  thft  weather,  in  a  long  cloak, 
made  his  appearance  and  having  seated  him- 
self, requested  to  be  shown  one  of  our  books. 
Having  delivered  it  to  him,  he  remained  ex- 


amining it  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  without 
uttering  a  word.  At  last  he  laid  it  down  with 
a  sigh,  and  said  that  he  should  be  very  happy 
to  purchase  some  of  these  books  for  his 
school,  but  from  their  appearance,  especially 
from  the  quality  of  the  paper  and  binding,  he 
was  apprehensive  that  to  pay  for  them  would 
exceed  the  means  of  the  parents  of  his 
pupils,  as  they  were  almost  destitute  of 
money,  being  poor  labourers.  He  then  com- 
menced blaming  the  government,  which  he 
said  established  schools  without  affording  the 
necessary  books,  adding  that  in  his  school 
there  were  but  two  books  for  the  use  of  all 
his  pupils,  and  these  he  confessed  contained 
but  little  good.  I  asked  him  what  he  consi- 
dered the  Testaments  worth  ]  He  said  "  Se- 
nor,  Cavalier,  to  speak  frankly,  I  have  in 
other  times  paid  twelve  reals  for  books  infe- 
rior to  yours  in  every  respect,  but  I  assure  you 
that  my  poor  pupils  would  be  utterly  unable  to 
pay  the  half  of  that  sum."  I  replied,  "I 
W'ill  sell  you  as  many  as  you  please  for  three 
reals  each.  I  am  acquainted  with  the  poverty 
of  the  land,  and  my  friends  and  myself,  in 
affording  the  people  the  means  of  spiritual  in- 
struction have  no  wish  to  curtail  their  scanty 
bread."  He  replied :  "  Bendito  sea  Dios," 
(^blessed  be  God,)  and  could  scarcely  believe  his 
ears.  He  instantly  purchased  a  dozen,  ex- 
pending, as  he  said,  all  the  money  he  pos- 
sessed, with  the  exception  of  a  few  cuartos. 
The  introduction  of  the  word  of  God  into  the 
country  schools  of  Spain  is  therefore  begun, 
and  I  humbly  hope  that  it  will  prove  one  of 
those  events  which  the  Bible  Society,  after 
the  lapse  of  years,  will  have  most  reason  to 
remember  with  joy  and  gratitude  to  the  Al- 
mighty. 

An  old  peasant  is  reading  in  the  portico. 
Eighty-four  years  have  passed  over  his  head, 
and  he  is  almost  entirely  deaf;  nevertheless, 
he  is  reading  aloud  the  second  of  Matthew  ; 
three  days  since  he  bespoke  a  Testament,  but 
not  being  able  to  raise  the  money,  he  has  not 
redeemed  it  until  the  present  moment.  He 
has  just  brought  thirty  farthings  ;  as  I  survey 
the  silvery  hair  which  overshadows  his  sun- 
burnt countenance,  the  words  of  the  song  oc- 
curred to  me,  "Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace  according  to  thy  word, 
for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation." 

I  experienced  much  grave  kindness  and 
simple  hospitality  from  the  good  people  of 
Villa  Seca  during  my  sojourn  amongst  them. 
I  had  at  this  time  so  won  their  hearts  by  the 
"  formality  "  of  my  behaviour  and  langiiage, 
that  I  firmly  believe  they  would  have  resisted 
to  the  knife  any  attempt  which  might  have 
been  made  to  arrest  or  otherwise  maltreat  me. 
He  who  wishes  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  genuine  Spaniard,  must  seek  him  not  in 
sea-ports  and  large  towns,  but  in  lone  and  re- 
mote villages,  like  those  of  the  Sagra.  There 
he  will  find  all  that  gravity  of  deportment 
and  chivalry  of  disposition  which  Cervantes 
is  said  to  have  sneered  away :  and  there  he 
will  hear,  in  every  day  conversation,  those 
grandiose    expressions,    which,    when   met 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


181 


with  in  the  romances  of  chivalry,  are  scoffed 
at  as  ridiculous  exaggerations. 

I  had  one  enemy  in  the  village — it  w^as  the 
curate. 

"  The  fellow  is  a  heretic  and  a  scoundrel," 
said  he  one  day  in  the  conclave.  "  He  never 
enters  the  church,  and  is  poisoning  the  minds 
of  the  people  with  his  Lutheran  books.  Let 
him  be  bound  and  sent  to  Toledo,  or  turned 
out  of  the  village  at  least." 

"  I  will  have  nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  the 
alcalde,  who  was  said  to  be  a  Carlist.  "  If 
he  has  his  opinions,  I  have  mine  too.  He  has 
conducted  himself  with  politeness.  Why 
should  I  interfere  with  him  ]  He  has  been 
courteous  to  my  daughter,  and  has  presented 
her  with  a  volume.  Que  viva !  and  with  re- 
spect to  his  being  a  Lutheran,  I  have  heard 
say  that  among  the  Lutherans  there  are  sons 
of  as  good  fathers  as  here.  He  appears  to 
me  a  caballero.     He  speaks  well." 

"There  is  no  denying  it,"  said  the  sur- 
geon. 

"  Who  speaks  so  well  ?"  shouted  the  herra- 
dor.  "  And  who  has  more  formality  ]  Vaya ! 
did  he  not  praise  my  horse,  '  The  Flower  of 
Spain  1'  Did  he  not  say  that  in  the  whole 
of  Ingalaterra  there  was  not  a  better  1  Did 
he  not  assure  me,  moreover,  that  if  he  were 
to  remain  in  Spain  he  would  purchase  it,  giv- 
ing me  my  own  price  1  Turn  him  out,  indeed ! 
Is  he  not  of  my  own  blood,  is  he  not  fair- 
complexioned  ?  Who  shall  say  turn  him  out 
when  I,  '  the  one-eyed,'  say  noT' 

In  connexion  with  the  circulation  of  the 
Scriptures  I  will  now  relate  an  anecdote  not 
altogether  divested  of  singularity.  I  have 
already  spoken  of  the  water-mill  by  the 
bridge  of  Azeca.  I  had  formed  acquaintance 
with  the  tenant  of  this  mill,  who  was  known 
in  the  neighbourhood  by  the  name  of  Don 
Antero.  One  day,  taking  me  into  a  retired 
place,  he  asked  me,  to  my  great  astonishment, 
whether  I  would  sell  him  a  thousand  Testa- 
ments at  the  price  at  which  I  was  disposing 
of  them  to  the  peasantry ;  saying,  if  I  would 


consent  he  would  pay  me  immediately.  In 
fact,  he  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and 
pulled  it  out  filled  with  gold  ounces.  I 
asked  him  what  was  his  reason  for  wishing  to 
make  so  considerable  a  purchace.  Where- 
upon he  informed  me,  that  he  had  a  relation 
in  Toledo  whom  he  wished  to  establish,  and 
that  he  was  of  opinion  that  his  best  plan 
would  be  to  hire  him  a  shop  there  and  furnish 
it  with  Testaments.  I  told  him  that  he  must 
think  of  nothing  of  the  kind,  as  probably  the 
books  would  be  seized  on  the  first  attempt  to 
introduce  them  into  Toledo,  as  the  priests  and 
canons  were  much  averse  to  their  distri- 
bution. 

He  was  not  disconcerted,  however,  and  said 
his  relation  could  travel,  as  I  myself  was 
doing,  and  dispose  of  them  to  the  peasants 
with  profit  to  himself.  I  confess  I  was  in- 
clined at  first  to  accept  his  offer,  but  at  length 
declined,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  expose  a  poor 
man  to  the  risk  of  losing  money,  goods,  and 
perhaps  liberty  and  life.  I  was  likewise 
averse  to  the  books  being  offered  to  the  pea- 
santry at  an  advanced  price,  being  aware  that 
they  could  not  afford  it,  and  the  books,  by 
sucn  an  attempt,  would  lose  a  considerable 
part  of  that  influence  which  they  then  enjoyed; 
for  their  cheapness  struck  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  they  considered  it  almost  as  much 
in  the  light  of  a  miracle  as  the  Jews  the  manna 
which  dropped  from  heaven  at  the  time  they 
were  famishing,  or  the  spring  which  suddenly 
gushed  from  the  flinty  rock  to  assuage  theii 
thirst  in  the  wilderness. 

At  this  time  a  peasant  was  continually 
passing  and  repassing  between  Villa  Seca  and 
Madrid,  bringing  us  cargoes  of  Testaments  on 
a  burrico.  We  continued  our  labours  until 
the  greater  part  of  the  villages  of  the  Sagra 
were  well  supplied  with  books,  more  espe- 
cially those  of  Vargas,  Coveja,  Mocejon,  Vil- 
laluenga.  Villa  Seca,  and  Yungler.  Hearing 
at  last  that  our  proceedings  were  known  at 
Toledo,  and  were  causing  considerable  alarm, 
we  returned  to  Madrid. 


182 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Aranjuez — A  Warning — A  Night  Adventure — A  Fresh  Expedition — Segovia-— Abades — Factious 
Curas — Lopez  in  Prison — Rescue  of  Lopez. 


The  success  which  had  attended  our  efforts 
in  the  Sagra  of  Toledo  speedily  urged  me  on 
to  a  new  enterprise.  1  now  determined  to 
direct  my  course  to  La  Mancha,  and  to  dis- 
tribute the  word  amongst  the  villages  of  that 
province.  Lopez,  who  had  already  performed 
such  important  services  in  the  Sagra,  had  ac- 
companied us  to  Madrid,  and  was  eager  to 
take  part  in  this  new  expedition.  We  deter- 
mined in  the  first  place  to  proceed  to  Aran- 
juez, where  we  hoped  to  obtain  some  informa- 
tion which  might  prove  of  utility  in  the  further 
regulation  of  our  movements;  Aranjuez  being 
but  a  slight  distance  from  the  frontier  of  La 
Mancha,  and  the  high  road  into  that  province 
passing  directly  through  it.  We  accordingly 
sallied  forth  from  Madrid,  selling  from  twenty 
to  forty  Testaments  in  every  village  which  lay 
in  our  way,  until  we  arrived  at  Aranjuez,  to 
which  place  we  had  forwarded  a  large  supply 
of  books. 

A  lovely  spot  is  Aranjuez,  though  in  deso- 
lation: here  the  Tagus  flows  through  a  deli- 
cious valley,  perhaps  the  most  fertile  in  Spain; 
and  here  upsprang,  in  Spain's  better  days,  a 
little  city,  with  a  small  but  beautiful  palace 
shaded  by  enormous  trees,  where  royalty  de- 
lighted to  forget  its  cares.  Here  Ferdinand 
the  Seventh  spent  his  latter  days,  surrounded 
by  lovely  senoras  and  Andalusian  bull-fight- 
ers ;  but  as  the  German  Schiller  has  it  in  one 
of  his  tragedies, — 

"  The  happy  days  of  fmr  Aranjuez 
Are  past  and  gone." 

When  the  sensual  king  went  to  his  dread 
account,  royalty  deserted  it,  and  it  soon  fell 
into  decay.  Intriguing  courtiers  no  longer 
crowd  its  halls ;  its  spacious  circus,  where 
Manchegan  bulls  once  roared  in  rage  and 
agony,  is  now  closed ;  and  the  light  tinkling 
of  guitars  is  no  longer  heard  amidst  its  groves 
and  gardens. 

At  Aranjuez  I  made  a  sojourn  of  three  days, 
during  which  time  Antonio,  Lopez,  and  my- 
self visited  every  house  in  the  town.  We 
found  a  vast  deal  of  poverty  and  ignorance 
amongst  the  inhabitants,  and  experienced 
some  opposition :  nevertheless  it  pleased  the 
Almighty  to  permit  us  to  dispose  of  about 
eighty  Testaments,  which  were  purchased  en- 
tirely by  the  very  poor  people;  those  in  easier 
circumstances  paying  no  attention  to  the  word 
of  God,  but  rather  turning  it  to  scoff  and  ridi- 
cule. 

One  circumstance  was  very  gratifying  and 
cheering  to  me,  namely,  the  ocular  proof  which 
I  possessed  that  the  books  which  I  disposed 
of  were  read,  and  with  attention,  by  those  to 
whom  I  sold  them;  and  that  many  others 
participated  in  their  benefit    In  the  streets 


of  Aranjuez,  and  beneath  the  mighty  cedars 
and  gigantic  elms  and  plantains  which  com- 
pose its  noble  woods,  I  have  frequently  seen 
groups  assembled,  listening  to  individuals 
who,  with  the  New  Testament  in  their  hands, 
were  reading  aloud  the  comfortable  words  of 
salvation. 

It  is  probable  that,  had  I  remained  a  longer 
period  at  Aranjuez,  I  might  have  sold  many 
more  of  these  divine  books,  but  I  was  eager 
to  gain  La  Mancha  and  its  sandy  plains,  and 
to  conceal  myself  for  a  season  amongst  its 
solitary  villages,  for  I  was  apprehensive  that 
a  storm  was  gathering  around  me;  but  when 
once  through  Ocana,  the  frontier  town,  I  knew 
well  that  I  should  have  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  Spanish  authorities,  as  their  power  ceased 
there,  the  rest  of  La  Mancha  being  almost  en- 
tirely in  the  hands  of  the  Carlists,  and  over- 
run by  small  parties  of  banditti,  from  whom, 
however,  I  trusted  that  the  Lord  would  pre- 
serve me.  I  therefore  departed  for  Ocaiia, 
distant  three  leagues  from  Aranjuez. 

I  started  with  Antonio  at  six  in  the  even- 
ing, having  early  in  the  morning  sent  forward 
Lopez  with  between  two  and  three  hundred 
Testaments.  We  left  the  high  road,  and 
proceeded  by  a  shorter  way  through  wild 
hills  and  over  very  broken  and  precipitous 
ground  :  being  well  mounted,  we  found  our- 
selves just  after  sunset  opposite  Ocaiia,  which 
stands  on  a  steep  hill.  A  deep  valley  lay 
between  us  and  the  town :  we  descended, 
and  came  to  a  small  bridge,  which  traverses 
a  rivulet  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  at  a  very 
small  distance  from  a  kind  of  suburb.  We 
crossed  the  bridge,  and  were  passing  by  a 
deserted  house  on  our  left  hand,  when  a  man 
appeared  from  under  the  porch. 

What  I  am  about  to  state  will  seem  incom- 
prehensible, but  a  singular  history  and  a  sin- 
gular people  are  connected  with  it :  the  man 
placed  himself  before  my  horse  so  as  to  bar 
the  way,  and  said  *^  Sc/iopkon,"  which,  in  the 
Hebrew  tongue,  signifies  a  rabbit.  I  knew 
this  word  to  be  one  of  the  Jewish  counter- 
signs, and  asked  the  man  if  he  had  any  thing 
to  communicate.  He  said,  "  You  must  not 
enter  the  town,  for  a  net  is  prepared  for  you. 
The  corregidor  of  Toledo,  on  whom  may  all 
evil  light,  in  order  to  give  pleasure  to  the 
priests  of  Maria,  in  whose  face  I  spit,  has 
ordered  all  the  alcaldes  of  these  parts  and  the 
escribanos  and  the  corchetes  to  lay  hands  on 
you  wherever  they  may  find  you,  and  to  send 
you  and  your  books,  and  all  that  pertains  to 
you  to  Toledo.  Your  servant  was  seized 
this  morning  in  the  town  above,  as  he  was 
selling  the  writings  in  the  streets,  and  they 
are  now  awaiting  your  arrival  in  the  posada ; 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


183 


But  I  knew  you  from  the  accounts  of  my 
brethren,  and  I  have  been  waiting  here  four 
hours  to  give  you  warning  in  order  that  your 
horse  may  turn  his  tail  to  your  enemies,  and 
neigh  in  derision  of  them.  Fear  nothing  for 
your  servant,  for  he  is  known  to  the  alcaide, 
and  will  be  set  at  liberty,  but  do  you  flee,  and 
may  God  attend  you."  Having  said  this,  he 
hurried  towards  the  town. 

I  hesitated  not  a  moment  to  take  his  ad- 
vice, knowing  full  well  that,  as  my  books 
had  been  taken  possession  of,  I  could  do  no 
more  in  that  quarter.  We  turned  back  in  the 
direction  of  Aranjuez,  the  horses,  notwith- 
standing the  nature  of  the  ground,  galloping 
at  full  speed ;  but  our  adventures  were  not 
over.  Midway,  and  about  half  a  league  from 
the  village  of  Antigola,  we  saw  close  to  us 
on  our  left  hand  three  men  on  a  low  bank. 
As  far  as  the  darkness  would  permit  us  to 
distinguish,  they  were  naked,  but  each  bore 
in  his  hand  a  long  gun.  These  were  rateros, 
or  the  common  assassins  and  robbers  of  the 
roads.  We  halted  and  cried  out,  "  Who  goes 
there  ?"  They  replied,  "  What's  that  to  you  ? 
pass  by."  Their  drift  was  to  lire  at  us  from 
a  position  from  which  it  would  be  impossible 
to  miss.  We  shouted,  "If  you  do  not  in- 
stantly pass  to  the  right  side  of  the  road,  we 
will  tread  you  down  beneath  the  horses' 
hoofs."  They  hesitated  and  then  obeyed,  for 
all  assassins  are  dastards,  and  the  least  show 
of  resolution  daunts  them.  As  we  galloped 
past,  one  cried,  with  an  obscene  oath,  "  Shall 
we  fire?"  But  another  said,  "No!  hay 
peligro."  We  reached  Aranjuez,  where 
early  next  morning  Lopez  rejoined  us,  and 
we  returned  to  Madrid. 

I  am  sorry  to  state  that  two  hundred  Tes- 
taments were  seized  at  Ocana,  from  whence, 
after  being  sealed  up,  they  w"ere  despatched 
to  Toledo.  Lopez  informed  me,  that  in  two 
hours  he  could  have  sold  them  all,  the  de- 
mand was  so  great.  As  it  was,  twenty- 
seven  were  disposed  of  in  less  than  ten 
minutes. 

"  Ride  on  because  of  the  word  of  righteous- 
ness." Notwithstanding  the  check  which 
we  had  experienced  at  Ocana,  we  were  far 
from  being  discouraged,  and  forthwith  pre- 
pared ourselves  for  another  expedition.  As 
we  returned  from  Aranjuez  to  Madrid,  my 
eyes  had  frequently  glanced  towards  the 
mighty  wall  of  mountains  dividing  the  two 
Castiles,  and  I  said  to  myself,  "Would  it 
not  be  well  to  cross  those  hills,  and  com- 
mence operations  on  the  other  side,  even  in 
Old  Castile?  There  I  am  unknown,  and  in- 
telligence of  my  procesdings  can  scarcely 
have  been  transmitted  thither.  Peradventure 
the  enemy  is  asleep,  and  before  he  has  roused 
himself,  1  may  have  sown  much  of  the  pre- 
cious seed  amongst  the  villages  of  the  Old 
Castilians.  To  Castile,  therefore,  to  Castilla 
la  Vieja !"  Accordingly,  On  the  day  after  my 
arrival,  I  despatched  several  cargoes  of  books 
to  various  places  which  I  proposed  to  visit, 
and  sent  forward  Lopez  and  his  donkey,  well 
laden,  with  directions  to  meet  me  on  a  parti- 


cular day  beneath  a  particular  arch  of  the 
acjueduct  of  Segovia.  I  likewise  gave  him 
orders  to  engage  any  persons  willing  to  co- 
operate with  us  in  the  circulation  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  who  might  be  likely  to  prove 
of  utility  in  the  enterprise.  A  more  useful 
assistant  than  Lopez  in  an  expedition  of  this 
kind  it  was  impossible  to  have.  He  was  not 
only  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  but 
had  friends,  and  even  connexions,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  hills,  in  whose  houses  he 
assured  me  that  we  should  at  all  times  find  a 
hearty  welcome.  He  departed  in  high  spi- 
rits, exclaiming,  "Be  of  good  cheer,  Don 
Jorge;  before  we  return  we  will  have  dis- 
posed of  every  copy  of  your  evangelic  library. 
Down  with  the  friars !  Down  with  super- 
stition! Viva  Ingalaterra,  viva  el  Evan- 
gelic !" 

In  a  few  days  I  followed  with  Antonio. 
We  ascended  the  mountains  by  the  pass 
called  Pena  Cerrada,  which  lies  about  three 
leagues  to  the  eastward  of  that  of  Guadarama. 
It  is  very  unfrequented,  the  high  road  between 
the  two  Castiles  passing  through  Guadarama. 
It  has,  moreover,  an  evil  name,  being,  ac- 
cording to  common  report,  infested  with  ban- 
ditti. The  sun  was  just  setting  when  we 
reached  the  top  of  the  hills,  and  entered  a 
thick  and  gloomy  pine  forest,  which  entirely 
covers  the  mountains  on  the  side  of  Old 
Castile.  The  descent  soon  became  so  rapid 
and  precipitous,  that  we  were  fain  to  dis- 
mount from  our  horses  and  to  drive  them  be- 
fore us.  Into  the  woods  we  plunged  deeper 
and  deeper  still;  night-birds  soon  began  to 
hoot  and  cry,  and  millions  of  crickets  cora-f 
menced  their  shrill  chirping  above,  below, 
and  around  us.  Occasionally,  amidst  the 
trees  at  a  distance,  we  could  see  blazes,  as  if 
from  immense  fires.  "  They  are  those  of  the 
charcoal-burners,  mon  maitre,"  said  Antonio ; 
"we  will  not  go  near  them,  however,  for 
they  are  savage  people,  and  half  bandits. 
Many  is  the  traveller  whom  they  have  rob- 
bed and  murdered  in  these  horrid  wilder- 
nesses." 

It  was  blackest  night  when  we  arrived  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountains;  we  were  still, 
however,  amidst  woods  and  pine  forests, 
which  extended  for  leagues  in  every  direc- 
tion. "  We  shall  scarcely  reach  Segovia  to- 
night, mon  maitre,"  said  Antonio.  And  so 
indeed  it  proved,  for  we  became  bewildered, 
and  at  last  arriving  where  two  roads  branched 
off  in  different  directions,  we  took  not  the  left 
hand  road,  which  would  have  conducted  us 
to  Segovia,  but  turned  to  the  right,  in  the 
direction  of  La  Granja,  where  we  arrived  at 
midnight. 

We  found  the  desolation  of  La  Granja  far 
greater  than  that  of  Aranjuez;  both  had  suf- 
fered from  the  absence  of  royalty,  but  the 
former  to  a  degree  which  was  truly  appalling. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  inhabitants  had  left  this 
place,  which,  until  the  late  military  revolu- 
tion, had  been  the  favourite  residence  of 
Christiana.  So  great  is  the  solitude  of  La 
Granja,  tliat  wild  boars  from  the  neighbour' 


184 


THE    BIBLE    IN   SPAIN. 


mg  forests,  and  especially  from  the  beautiful 
pine-covered  mountain  which  rises  like  a 
cone  directly  behind  the  palace,  frequently 
find  their  way  into  the  streets  and  squares, 
and  whet  their  tusks  against  the  pillars  of  the 
porticos. 

"  Ride  on  because  of  the  word  of  righteous- 
ness." After  a  stay  of  twenty-four  hours  at 
La  Granja,  we  proceeded  to  Segovia.  The 
day  had  arrived  on  which  I  had  appointed  to 
meet  Lopez,  I  repaired  to  the  aqueduct,  and 
sat  down  beneath  the  hundred  and  seventh 
arch,  where  I  waited  the  greater  part  of  the 
day,  but  he  came  not,  whereupon  1  arose  and 
went  into  the  city. 

At  Segovia  I  tarried  two  days  in  the  house 
of  a  friend,  still  I  could  hear  nothing  of  Lo- 
pez. At  last,  by  the  greatest  chance  in  the 
world,  I  heard  from  a  peasant  that  there  were 
men  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Abades  selling 
books. 

Abades  is  about  three  leagues  distant  from 
Segovia,  and  upon  receiving  this  inteliigence, 
I  instantly  departed  for  the  former  place,  with 
three  donkeys  laden  with  Testaments.  I 
reached  Abades  at  nightfall,  and  found  Lopez, 
with  two  peasants  whom  he  had  engaged,  in 
the  house  of  the  surgeon  of  the  place,  where 
I  also  took  up  my  residence.  He  had  already 
disposed  of  a  considerable  number  of  Testa- 
ments in  the  neighbourhood,  and  had  that 
day  commenced  selling  at  Abades  itself;  he 
had,  however,  been  interrupted  by  two  of  the 
three  curas  of  the  village,  who,  with  horrid 
curses,  denounced  the  work,  threatening 
eternal  condemnation  to  Lopez  for  selling  it, 
and  to  any  person  who  should  purchase  it; 
whereupon  Lopez,  terrified,  forbore  until  I 
should  arrive.  The  third  cura,  however,  ex- 
erted himself  to  the  utmost  to  persuade  the 
people  to  provide  themselves  with  Testa- 
ments, telling  them  that  his  brethren  were 
hypocrites  and  false  guides,  who,  by  keep- 
ing them  in  ignorance  of  the  word  and 
will  of  Christ,  were  leading  them  to  the 
abyss.  Upon  receiving  this  information,  I 
instantly  sallied  forth  to  the  market-place, 
and  that  same  night  succeeded  in  disposing 
of  upwards  of  thirty  Testaments.  The  next 
morning  the  house  was  entered  by  the  two 
factious  curas,  but  upon  my  rising  to  confront 
them,  they  retreated,  and  I  heard  no  more  of 
tiiem,  except  that  they  publicly  cursed  me  in 
the  church  more  than  once,  an  event  which, 
as  no  ill  resulted  from  it,  gave  me  little  con- 
cern. 

I  will  not  detail  the  events  of  the  next 
week,  suflice  it  to  say  that,  arranging  my 
forces  in  the  most  advantageous  way,  I  suc- 
ceeded, by  God's  assistance,  in  disposing  of 
firom  five  to  six  hundred  Testaments  amongst 
the  villages  from  one  to  seven  leagues  dis- 
tance from  Abades.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
period  I  received  information  that  my  pro- 
ceedings were  known  in  Segovia,  in  which 
province  Abades  is  situated,  and  that  an  order 
was  about  to  be  sent  to  the  alcalde  to  seize 
all  books  in  my  possession.  Whereupon, 
notwithstanding  that  it  was  late  in  the  even- 


ing, I  decamped  with  all  my  people,  and  up- 
wards of  three  hundred  Testaments,  having  a 
few  hours  previously  received  a  fiesh  supply 
from  Madrid.  That  night  we  passed  in  the 
fields,  and  next  morning  proceeded  to  Laba- 
jos,  a  village  on  the  high  roaa  from  Madrid 
to  Valladolid.  In  this  place  we  offered  no 
books  for  sale  but  contented  ourselves  with 
supplying  the  neighbouring  villages  with  the 
word  of  God:  we  likewise  sold  it  in  the 
highways. 

We  had  not  been  at  Labajos  a  week,  during 
which  time  we  were  remarkably  successful, 
when  the  Carlist  chieftain,  Balmaseda,  at  the 
head  of  his  cavalry,  made  his  desperate  in- 
road into  the  southern  part  of  Old  Castile, 
dashing  down  like  an  avalanche  from  the 
pine-woods  of  Soria.  I  was  present  at  ail 
the  horrors  which  ensued, — the  sack  of  Arre- 
valo,  and  the  forcible  entry  into  Martin  Mu- 
noz.  Amidst  these  terrible  scenes  we  con- 
tinued our  labours.  Suddenly  I  lost  Lopez 
for  three  days,  and  suffered  dreadful  anxiety 
on  his  account,  imagining  that  he  had  been 
shot  by  the  Carlists;  at  last  I  heard  that  he 
was  in  prison  at  Villallos,  three  leagues  dis- 
tant. The  steps  which  I  took  to  rescue  him 
will  be  found  detailed  in  a  communication, 
which  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  transmit  to 
Lord  William  Hervey,  who,  in  the  absence 
of  Sir  George  Villiers,  now  become  Earl  of 
Clarendon,  fulfilled  the  duties  of  minister  at 
Madrid : — 

Labajos,  Province  of  Segovia, 

August  23d,  1838. 
My  Lord, 
I  beg  leave  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fol- 
lowing facts.  On  the  21st  inst.  I  received 
information  that  a  person  in  my  employ,  of 
the  name  of  Juan  Lopez,  had  been  thrown 
into  the  prison  of  Villallos,  in  the  province 
of  Avila,  by  order  of  the  cura  of  that  place. 
The  crime  with  which  he  was  charged  was 
selling  the  New  Testament.  I  was  at  that 
time  at  Labajos,  in  the  province  of  Segovia, 
and  the  division  of  the  factious  chieftain  Bal- 
maseda was  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood. 
On  the  22d,  I  mounted  my  horse  and  rode 
to  Villallos,  a  distance  of  three  leagues.  On 
my  arrival  there,  I  found  that  Lope?  had 
been  removed  from  the  prison  to  a  private 
house.  An  order  had  arrived  from  the  Cor- 
regidor  of  Avila,  commanding  that  the  person 
of  Lopez  should  be  set  at  liberty,  and  that 
the  books  which  had  been  found  in  his  pos- 
session should  be  alone  detained.  Neverthe- 
less, in  direct  opposition  to  this  order,  (a 
copy  of  which  I  herewith  transmit,)  the  al- 
calde of  Villallos,  at  the  instigation  of  the 
cura,  refused  to  permit  the  said  Lopez  to  quit 
the  place,  either  to  proceed  to  Avila  or  in  any 
other  direction.  It  had  been  hinted  to  Lopez 
that  as  the  factious  were  expected,  it  was  in- 
tended on  their  arrival  to  denounce  him  to 
them  as  a  liberal,  and  to  cause  him  to  be 
sacrificed.  Taking  these  circumstances  into 
consideration,  I  deemed  it  my  duty,  as  a 
Christian  and  a  gentleman,  to  rescue  my  un- 
fortunate servant  from  such  lawless  hands, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


185 


and  in  consequence,  defying  opposition,  I 
bore  him  oft",  thougli  entirely  unarmed, 
through  a  crowd  of  at  least  one  hundred 
peasants.  On  leaving  the  place  I  shouted, 
"  Viva  Isabel  Segunda." 

As  it  is  my  belief  that  the  cura  of  Villallos 
Is  a  person  capable  of  any  infamy,  I  beg  leave 
humbly  to  entreat  your  lordship  to  cause  a 
copy  of  the  above  narration  to  be  forwarded 
to  the  Spanish  government. 

I  have  the  honour  to  remain, 
My  Lord, 

Your  Lordship's  most  obedient, 
George  Borrow. 
To  the  Right  Honourable 
Lord  William  Hervey. 


After  the  rescue  of  Lopez  we  proceeded  in 
the  work  of  distribution.  Suddenly,  however, 
the  symptoms  of  an  approaching  illness  came 
over  me,  which  compelled  us  to  return  in  all 
haste  to  Madrid.  Arrived  there,  I  was  at- 
tacked by  a  fever  which  confined  me  to  my 
bed  for  several  weeks :  occasional  fits  of  de- 
lirium came  over  me,  during  one  of  which,  I 
imagined  myself  in  the  market-place  of  Mar- 
tin Muiioz,  engaged  in  deadly  struggle  with 
the  chieftain  Balmaseda. 

The  fever  had  scarcely  departed,  when  a 
profound  melancholy  took  possession  of  me, 
which  entirely  disqualified  me  for  active  ex- 
ertion. Change  of  scene  and  air  was  recom- 
mended ;  I  therefore  returned  to  England. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


Return  to  Spain — Seville — A  hoary  Persecutor — Manchegan  Prophetess — Antonio's  Dream. 


On  the  thirty-first  of  December,  1838,  I 
ngain  visited  Spain  for  the  third  time.  After 
staying  a  day  or  two  at  Cadiz,  I  repaired  to 
Seville,  from  which  place  I  proposed  starting 
for  Madrid  with  the  mail  post.  Here  I  tar- 
ried about  a  fortnight,  enjoying  the  delicious 
climate  of  this  terrestrial  paradise,  and  the 
balmy  breezes  of  the  Andalusian  winter,  even 
as  I  had  done  two  years  previously.  Before 
leaving  Seville  I  visited  the  bookseller,  my 
correspondent,  who  informed  me  that  seventy- 
six  copies  of  the  hundred  Testaments  in- 
trusted to  his  care  had  been  placed  in  embargo 
by  the  government  last  summer,  and  that  they 
were  at  the  present  time  in  the  possession  of 
the  ecclesiastical  governor,  whereupon  I  de- 
termined to  visit  this  functionary  also,  with 
the  view  of  making  inquiries  concerning  the 
property. 

He  lived  in  a  large  house  in  the  Pajaria,  or 
strawmarket.  He  was  a  very  old  man,  be- 
tween seventy  and  eighty,  and,  like  the  gene- 
rality of  those  who  wear  the  sacerdotal  habit 
ih  this  city,  was  a  fierce,  persecuting  papist. 
I  imagine  that  he  scarcely  believed  his  ears 
when  his  two  grand-nephews,  beautiful  black- 
haired  boys  who  were  playing  in  the  court- 
yard, ran  to  inform  him  that  an  Englishman 
was  waiting  to  speak  with  him,  as  it  is  pro- 
bable that  I  was  the  first  heretic  who  ever 
ventured  into  his  habitation.  I  found  him  in 
a  vaulted  room,  seated  on  a  lofty  chair,  with 
two  sinister-looking  secretaries,  also  in  sacer- 
dotal habits,  employed  in  writing  at  a  table 
before  him.  He  brought  powerfully  to  my 
mind  the  grim  old  inquisitor  who  persuaded 
Philip  the  Second  to  slay  his  own  son  as  an 
enemy  to  the  church. 

He  rose  as  I  entered,  and  gazed  upon  me 

with  a  countenance  dark  with  suspicion  and 

dissatisfaction.     He  at  last  condescended  to 

point  me  to  a  sofa,  and  I  proceeded  to  state  to 

24 


him  my  business.  He  became  much  agitated 
when  I  mentioned  the  Testaments  to  him  ; 
but  I  no  sooner  spoke  of  the  Bible  Society 
and  told  him  who  I  was,  than  he  could  con- 
tain himself  no  longer:  with  a  stammering 
tongue  and  with  eyes  flashing  fire  like  hot 
coals,  he  proceeded  to  rail  against  the  society 
and  myself,  saying  that  the  aims  of  the  first 
were  atrocious,  and  that,  as  to  myself,  he  was 
surprised  that,  being  once  lodged  in  the  prison 
of  Madrid,  I  had  ever  been  permitted  to  quit 
it;  adding,  that  it  was  disgraceful  in  the  go- 
vernment to  allow  a  person  of  my  character 
to  roam  about  an  innocent  and  peaceful  coun- 
try corrupting  the  minds  of  the  ignorant  and 
unsuspicious.  Far  from  allowing  myself  to 
be  disconcerted  by  his  rude  behaviour,  I  re- 
plied to  him  with  all  possible  politeness,  and 
assured  him  that  in  this  instance  he  had  no 
reason  to  alarm  himself,  as  my  sole  motive  in 
claiming  the  books  in  question,  was  to  avail 
myself  of  an  opportunity  which  at  present 
presented  itself,  of  sending  them  out  of  the 
country,  which,  indeed,!  had  been  commanded 
to  do  by  an  ofiicial  notice.  But  nothing  would 
sooth  him,  and  he  informed  me  that  he  should 
not  deliver  up  the  books  on  any  condition^ 
save  by  a  positive  order  of  the  government. 
As  the  matter  was  by  no  means  an  affair  of 
consequence,  I  thought  it  wise  not  to  persist, 
and  also  prudent  to  take  my  leave  before  h© 
requested  me.  I  was  followed  even  down 
into  the  street  by  his  niece  and  grand-nephews^ 
who,  during  the  whole  of  the  conversation,, 
had  listened  at  the  door  of  the  apartment  and 
heard  every  word. 

In  passing  through  La  Mancha,  we  stayed 
for  four  hours  at  Manzanares,  a  large  village. 
I  was  standing  in  the  market-place  conversing 
with  a  curate,  when  a  frightful  ragged  object 
presented  itself;  it  was  a  girl  about  eighteen 
or  nineteen,  perfectly  blind,  a  white  film  being 
<)3 


186 


THE   BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


spread  over  her  huge  staring  eyes.  Her 
countenance  was  as  yellow  as  that  of  a  mu- 
latto. I  thought  at  first  that  she  was  a  gipsy, 
and  addressing  myself  to  her,  inquired  in 
Gitano  if  she  were  of  that  race ;  she  under- 
stood me,  but  shaking  her  head,  replied,  that 
she  was  something  better  than  a  Gitina,  and 
could  speak  something  better  than  that  jargon 
of  witches  ;  whereupon  she  commenced  ask- 
ing me  several  questions  in  exceedingly  good 
Latin.  I  was  of  course  very  much  surprised, 
but,  summoning  all  my  Latinity,  I  called  her 
Manchegan  Prophetess,  and  expressing  my 
admiration  for  her  learning,  begged  to  be  in- 
formed by  what  means  she  became  possessed 
of  it.  I  must  here  observe  that  a  crowd  in- 
stantly gathered  around  us,  who,  though  they 
understood  not  one  word  of  our  discourse,  at 
every  sentence  of  the  girl  shouted  applause, 
proud  in  the  possession  of  a  prophetess  who 
could  answer  the  Englishman. 

She  informed  me  that  she  was  born  blind, 
and  that  a  Jesuit  priest  had  taken  compassion 
on  her  when  she  was  a  child,  and  had  taught 
her  the  holy  language,  in  order  that  the  atten- 
tion and  hearts  of  Christians  might  be  more 
easily  turned  towards  her.  I  soon  discovered 
that  he  had  taught  her  something  more  than 
Latin ;  for  upon  telling  her  that  I  was  an 
Englishman,  she  said  that  she  had  always 
loved  Britain,  which  was  once  the  nursery  of 
saints  and  sages,  for  example  Bede  and  Al- 
cuin,  Columbus  and  Thomas  of  Canterbury  ; 
Dut,  she  added,  those  times  had  gone  by  since 
the  reappearance  of  Semiramis  (Elizabeth). 
Her  Latin  was  truly  excellent,  and  when  I, 
like  a  genuine  Goth,  spoke  of  Anglia  and 
Terra  Vandalica  (Andalusia),  she  corrected 
me  by  saying,  that  in  her  language  those 
places  were  called  Britannia  and  Terra  Be- 
tica.  When  we  had  finished  our  discourse, 
a  gathering  was  made  for  the  prophetess,  the 
very  poorest  contributing  something. 

After  travelling  four  days  and  nights,  we 
arrived  at  Madrid,  without  having  expe- 
rienced the  slightest  accident,  though  it  is  but 
just  to  observe,  and  always  with  gratitude  to 
the  Almighty,  that  the  next  mail  was  stopped. 
A  singular  incident  befell  me  immediately 
after  my  arrival :  on  entering  the  arch  of  the 
posada  called  La  Reyna,  where  I  intended  to 
put  up,  I  found  myself  encircled  in  a  person's 
arms,  and  on  turning  round  in  amazement, 
beheld  my  Greek  servant,  Antonio.  He  was 
haggard  and  ill-dressed,  and  his  eyes  seemed 
starting  from  their  sockets. 

As  soon  as  we  were  alone,  he  informed  me 
that  since  my  departure  he  had  undergone 


great  misery  and  destitution,  having,  during 
the  whole  period,  been  unable  to  find  a  mas- 
ter in  need  of  his  services,  so  that  he  was 
brought  nearly  to  the  verge  of  desperation ; 
but  that  on  the  night  immediately  preceding 
my  arrival  he  had  a  dream,  in  which  he  saw  me, 
mounted  on  a  black  horse,  ride  up  to  the  gate 
of  the  posada,  and  that  on  that  account  he  had 
been  waiting  there  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  day.  I  do  not  pretend  to  offer  an  opinion 
concerning  this  narrative,  which  is  beyond 
the  reach  of  my  philosophy,  and  shall  con- 
tent myself  with  observing  that  only  two  in- 
dividuals in  Madrid  were  aware  of  my  arrival 
in  Spain.  I  was  very  glad  to  receive  him 
again  into  my  service,  as,  notwithstanding 
his  faults,  he  had  in  many  instances  proved 
of  no  slight  assistance  to  me  in  my  wander- 
ings and  biblical  labours. 

I  was  soon  settled  in  my  former  lodgings, 
when  one  of  my  first  cares  was  to  pay  a  visit 
to  Lord  Clarendon.  Amongst  other  things, 
he  informed  me  that  he  had  received  an  offi- 
cial notice  from  the  government,  stating  the 
seizure  of  the  New  Testaments  at  Ocana,  the 
circumstances  relating  to  which  I  have  de- 
scribed on  a  former  occasion,  and  informing 
him  that  unless  steps  were  instantly  taken  to 
remove  them  from  the  country,  they  would 
be  destroyed  at  Toledo,  to  which  place  they 
had  been  conveyed.  I  replied  that  I  should 
give  myself  no  trouble  about  the  matter; 
and  that  if  the  authorities  of  Toledo,  civil  or 
ecclesiastic,  determined  upon  burning  these 
books,  my  only  hope  was  that  they  would 
commit  them  to  the  flames  with  all  possible 
publicity,  as  by  so  doing  they  would  but 
manifest  their  own  hellish  rancour  and  their 
hostility  to  the  word  of  God. 

Being  eager  to  resume  my  labours,  I  had 
no  sooner  arrived  at  Madrid  than  I  wrote  to 
Lopez  at  Villa  Seca,  for  the  purpose  of  learn- 
ing whether  he  was  inclined  to  co-operate  in 
the  work,  as  on  former  occasions.  In  reply, 
he  informed  me  that  he  was  busily  employed 
in  his  agricultural  pursuits :  to  supply  his 
place,  however,  he  sent  over  an  elderly  vil- 
lager, Victoriano  Lopez  by  name,  a  distant 
relation  of  his  own. 

What  is  a  missionary  in  the  heart  of  Spain 
without  a  horse?  Which  consideration  in- 
duced me  now  to  purchase  an  Arabian  of 
high  caste,  which  had  been  brought  from 
Algiers  by  an  officer  of  the  French  legion. 
The  name  of  this  steed,  the  best  I  believe 
that  ever  issued  from  the  desert,  was  Sidi 
Habismilk. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


187 


CHAPTER  XLVr. 


Work  of  Distribution  resumed — Adventure  at  Cobenna — Power  of  the  Clergy — Rural  Authorities — 
Fuente  la  Higuera — Victoriano's  Mishap — Village  Prison — The  Rope — Antonio's  Errand — Anto- 
nio at  Mass. 


In  my  last  chapter,  I  stated  that,  immedi- 
ately after  my  arrival  at  Madrid,  I  proceeded 
to  get  every  thing  in  readiness  for  commenc- 
ing operations  in  the  neighbourhood ;  and  I 
soon  entered  upon  my  labours  in  reality. 
Considerable  success  attended  my  feeble  ef- 
forts in  the  good  cause,  for  which,  at  present, 
after  the  lapse  of  some  years,  I  still  look  back 
with  gratitude  to  the  Almighty. 

All  the  villages  within  the  distance  of  four 
leagues  to  the  east  of  Madrid  were  visited  in 
less  than  a  fortnight,  and  Testaments  to  the 
number  of  nearly  two  hundred  disposed  of. 
These  villages  for  the  most  part  are  very 
small,  some  of  them  consisting  of  not  more 
than  a  dozen  houses,  or  I  should  rather  say 
miserable  cabins.  I  left  Antonio,  my  Greek, 
to  superintend  matters  in  Madrid,  and  pro- 
ceeded with  Victoriano,  the  peasant  from 
Villa  Seca,  in  the  direction  which  I  have 
already  mentioned.  We,  however,  soon  parted 
company,  and  pursued  different  routes. 

The  first  village  at  which  I  made  an  at- 
tempt was  Cobenna,  about  three  leagues 
from  Madrid.  I  was  dressed  in  the  fashion 
of  the  peasants  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Se- 
govia, in  Old  Castile;  namely,  I  had  on  my 
head  a  species  of  leather  helmet  or  montera, 
with  a  jacket  and  trousers  of  the  same  mate- 
rial. I  had  the  appearance  of  a  person  be- 
tween sixty  and  seventy  years  of  age,  and 
drove  before  me  a  borrico  with  a  sack  of  Tes- 
taments lying  across  its  back.  On  nearing 
the  village,  I  met  a  genteel-looking  young 
woman  leading  a  little  boy  by  the  hand :  as 
I  was  about  to  pass  her  with  the  customary 
salutation  of  vaya  usted  con  Dios,  she  stopped, 
and  after  looking  at  me  for  a  moment,  she 
said:  "Uncle  (Tio),  what  is  that  you  have 
got  on  your  borrico  1     Is  it  soap  1" 

"  Yes,"  1  replied ;  "  it  is  soap  to  wash 
souls  clean." 

She  demanded  what  I  meant ;  whereupon 
I  told  her  that  I  carried  cheap  and  godly 
books  for  sale.  On  her  requesting  to  see 
one,  I  produced  a  copy  from  my  pocket,  and 
handed  it  to  her.  She  instantly  commenced 
reading  with  a  loud  voice,  and  continued  so 
for  at  least  ten  minutes,  occasionally  exclaim- 
ing: "Que  kclura  fan  bnnita,  que  lediira  fan 
linda!  What  beautiful,  what  charming  read- 
ing!" At  last,  on  my  informing  her  that  I 
was  in  a  hurry  and  could  not  wait  any  longer, 
she  said,  "  true,  true,"  and  asked  me  the  price 
of  the  book:  I  told  her  "but  three  reals," 
whereupon  she  said,  that  though  what  I  asked 
was  very  little,  it  was  more  than  she  could 
afford  to  give,  as  there  was  little  or  no  money 
in  those  parts.  I  said  I  was  sorry  for  it,  but 
that  I  could  not  dispose  of  the  books  for  less 
than  I  had  demanded,  and  accordingly,  re- 


suming it,  wished  her  farewell,  and  left  her. 
I  had  not,  however,  proceeded  thirty  yards, 
when  the  boy  came  running  behind  me, 
shouting,  out  of  breath:  "Stop,  uncle,  the 
book !"  Upon  overtaking  me,  he  delivered 
the  three  reals  in  copper,  and  seizing  the 
Testament,  ran  back  to  her,  who  I  suppose 
was  his  sister,  flourishing  the  book  over  his 
head  with  great  glee. 

On  arriving  at  the  village,  I  directed  ray 
steps  to  a  house  around  the  door  of  which  I 
saw  several  people  gathered,  chiefly  women. 
On  my  displaying  my  books,  their  curiosity 
was  instantly  aroused,  and  every  person  had 
speedily  one  in  his  hand,  many  reading  aloud  ; 
however,  after  waiting  nearly  an  hour,  I  had, 
disposed  of  but  one  copy,  all  complaining  bit- 
terly of  the  distress  of  the  times,  and  the  al- 
most total  want  of  money,  though  at  the  same 
time,  they  acknowledged  that  the  books  were 
wonderfully  cheap,  and  appeared  to  be  very 
good  and  Christian-like.  I  was  about  to  ga- 
ther up  my  merchandise  and  depart,  when  on 
a  sudden  the  curate  of  the  place  made  his  ap- 
pearance. After  having  examined  the  books 
for  some  time  with  considerable  attention,  he 
asked  me  the  price  of  a  copy,  and  upon  my 
informing  him  that  it  was  three  reals,  he  re- 
plied that  the  binding  was  worth  more,  and 
that  he  was  much  afraid  that  I  had  stolen  the 
books,  and  that  it  was  perhaps  his  duty  to 
send  me  to  prison  as  a  suspicious  character ; 
but  added,  that  the  books  were  good  books, 
however  they  might  be  obtained,  and  con- 
cluded by  purchasing  two  copies.  The  poor 
people  no  sooner  heard  their  curate  recom- 
mend the  volumes,  than  all  were  eager  to  se- 
cure one,  and  hurried  here  and  there  for  the 
purpose  of  procuring  money,  so  that  between 
twenty  and  thirty  copies  were  sold  almost  in 
an  instant.  This  adventure  not  only  affords 
an  instance  of  the  power  still  possessed  by 
the  Spanish  clergy  over  the  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple, but  proves  that  such  influence  is  not  al- 
ways exerted  in  a  manner  favourable  to  the 
maintenance  of  ignorance  and  superstition. 

In  another  village,  on  my  showing  a  Testa- 
ment to  a  woman,  she  said  that  she  had  a  child 
at  school  for  whom  she  should  like  to  purchase 
one,  but  that  she  must  know  first  whether  the 
book  was  calculated  to  be  of  service  to  him. 
She  then  went  away,  and  presently  returned 
with  the  schoolmaster,  followed  by  all  the 
children  under  his  care;  she  then,  showing 
the  schoolmaster  a  book,  inquired  if  it  would 
answer  for  her  son.  The  schoolmaster  called 
her  a  simpleton  for  asking  such  a  question,  and 
said  that  he  knew  the  book  well,  and  there 
was  not  its  equal  in  the  world  {no  hay  otro  en 
el  mundo).  He  instantly  purchased  five  co- 
pies for  his  pupils,  regretting  that  he  had  no 


tm 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


more  money,  "for  if  I  had,"  said  he,  "I 
would  buy  the  whole  cargo."  Upon  hearing 
this,  the  woman  purchased  four  copies,  name- 
ly, one  for  her  living  son,  another  for  her 
deceased  husband,  a  third  for  herself,  and  a 
fourth  for  her  brother,  whom  she  said  she  was 
expecting  home  that  night  from  Madrid. 

In  this  manner  we  proceeded,  not,  however, 
with  uniform  success.  In  some  villages  the 
people  were  so  poor  and  needy  that  they  lite- 
rally had  no  money  ;  even  in  these,  however, 
we  managed  to  dispose  of  a  few  copies  in  ex- 
change for  barley  or  refreshments.  On  enter- 
ifto-  one  very  small  hamlet,  Victoriano  was 
stopped  by  the  curate,  who,  on  learning  what 
he  carried,  told  him  that  unless  he  instantly 
departed,  he  would  cause  him  to  be  imprison- 
ed, and  would  write  to  Madrid  in  order  to 
give  information  of  what  was  going  on.  The 
excursion  lasted  about  eight  days.  Immedi- 
ately after  my  return,  I  despatched  Victoriano 
to  Caramanchel,  a  village  at  a  short  distance 
from  Madrid,  the  only  one  towards  the  west 
which  had  not  been  visited  last  year.  He 
stayed  there  about  an  hour,  and  disposed  of 
twelve  copies,  and  then  returned,  as  he  was 
exceedingly  timid,  and  was  afraid  of  being 
met  by  the  thieves  who  swarm  on  that  road  in 
the  evening. 

Shortly  after  these  events,  a  circumstance 
occurred  which  will  perhaps  cause  the  English 
reader  to  smile,  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  it 
will  not  fail  to  prove  interesting,  as  affording 
an  example  of  the  feeling  prevalent  in  some 
of  the  lone  villages  of  Spain  with  respect  to 
innovation  and  all  that  savours  thereof,  and 
the  strange  acts  which  are  sometimes  com- 
mitted by  the  rural  authorities  and  the  priests, 
without  the  slightest  fear  of  being  called  to 
account;  for  as  they  live  quite  apart*  from 
the  rest  of  the  world,  they  know  no  people 
greater  than  themselves,  and  scarcely  dream 
of  a  higher  power  than  their  own. 

I  was  about  to  make  an  excursion  to  Gua- 
dalajara, and  the  villages  of  Alcarria,  about 
seven  leagues  distant  from  Madrid  ;  indeed  I 
merely  awaited  the  return  of  Victoriano  to 
sally  forth  ;  I  having  despatched  him  in  that 
direction  with  a  few  Testaments,  as  a  kind  of 
explorer,  in  order  that,  from  his  report  as  to 
the  disposition  manifested  by  the  people  for 
purchasing,  I  might  form  a  tolerably  accurate 
opinion  as  to  the  number  of  copies  which  it 
might  be  necessary  to  carry  with  me.  How- 
ever, I  heard  nothing  of  him  for  a  fortnight,  at 
the  end  of  which  period  a  letter  was  brought 
to  me  by  a  peasant,  dated  from  the  prison  of 
Fuente  la  Higuera,  a  village  eight  leagues 
from  Madrid,  in  the  Campiiia  of  Alcala;  this 
letter,  written  by  Victoriano,  gave  me  to  un- 
derstand that  he  had  been  already  eight  days 
imprisoned,  and  that  unless  I  could  find  some 
means  to  extricate  him,  there  was  every  pro- 
bability of  his  remaining  in  durance  until  he 
should  perish  with  hunger,  which  he  had  no 
doubt  would  occur  as  soon  as  his  money  was 
exhausted.    From  what  I  afterwards  learned, 


*  Kara  t6v  rinov  koI  h  rp6mi,  as  Antonio  said. 


it  appeared  that,  after  passing  the  town  of  Al- 
cala, he  had  commenced  distributing,  and  with 
oonsiderable  success.  His  entire  stock  con- 
sisted of  sixty-one  Testaments,  twentv-five 
of  which  he  sold  without  the  slightest' diffi- 
culty or  interruption  in  the  single  village  of 
Arganza ;  the  poor  labourers  showering  bless- 
ings on  his  head  for  providing  them  with 
such  good  books  at  an  easy  price. 

Not  more  than  eighteen  of  his  books  re- 
mained, when  he  turned  off  the  high  road  to- 
wards Fuente  la  Higuera.  This  place  was 
already  tolerably  well  known  to  him,  he 
having  visited  it  of  old,  when  he  travelled  the 
country  in  the  capacity  of  a  vender  of  cachar- 
ras  or  earthen  pans.  He  subsequently  stated 
that  he  felt  some  misgiving  whilst  on  the  way, 
as  the  village  had  invariably  borne  a  bad  re- 
putation. On  his  arrival,  after  having  put  up 
his  cavallejo  or  little  pony  at  a  posada,  he 
proceeded  to  the  alcalde  for  the  purpose  of 
asking  permission  to  sell  the  books,  which 
that  dignitary  immediately  granted.  He  now 
entered  a  house  and  sold  a  copy,  and  likewise 
a  second.  Emboldened  by  success,  he  enter- 
ed a  third,  which,  it  appeared,  belonged  to  the 
barber-surgeon  of  the  village.  This  person- 
age having  just  completed  his  dinner,  was 
seated  in  an  arm-chair  within  his  doorway, 
when  Victoriano  made  his  appearance.  He 
was  a  man  about  thirty-five,  of  a  savage  tru- 
culent countenance.  On  Victoriano's  offering 
him  a  Testament,  he  took  it  in  his  hand  to 
examine  it,  but  no  sooner  did  his  eyes  glance 
over  the  title-page  than  he  burst  out  into  a 
loud  laugh,  exclaiming:  —  "Ha,  ha,  Don 
Jorge  Borrow,  the  English  heretic,  we  have 
encountered  you  at  last.  Glory  to  the  Virgin 
and  the  Saints !  We  have  long  been  expect- 
ing you  here,  and  at  length  you  are  arrived." 
He  then  inquired  the  price  of  the  book,  and 
on  being  told  three  reals,  he  flung  down  two, 
and  rushed  out  of  the  house  with  the  Testa- 
ment in  his  hand. 

Victoriano  now  became  alarmed,  and  deter- 
mined upon  leaving  the  place  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. He  therefore  hurried  back  to  the  posada, 
and  having  paid  for  the  barley  which  his  pony 
had  consumed,  went  into  the  stable,  and  plac- 
ing the  packsaddle  on  the  animal's  back,  was 
about  to  lead  it  forth,  when  the  alcalde  of  the 
village,  the  surgeon,  and  twelve  other  men, 
some  of  whom  were  armed  with  muskets, 
suddenly  presented  themselves.  They  in- 
stantly made  Victoriano  prisoner,  and  after 
seizing  the  books  and  laying  an  embargo  on 
the  pony,  proceeded  amidst  much  abuse  to 
drag  the  captive  to  what  they  denominated 
their  prison,  a  low  damp  apartment  with  a  lit- 
tle grated  window,  where  they  locked  him  up 
and  left  him.  ■  At  the  expiration  of  three 
quarters  of  an  hour,  they  again  appeared,  and 
conducted  him  to  the  house  of  the  curate, 
where  they  sat  down  in  conclave;  the  curate, 
who  was  a  man  stone-blind,  presiding,  whilst 
the  sacristan  officiated  as  secretary.  The 
surgeon  having  stated  his.  accusation  against 
the  prisoner,  namely,  that  he  had  detected 
him  in  the  fact  of  selling  a  version  of  the  Scrip- 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN 


189 


tures  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  the  curate  proceed- 
ed to  examine  Victoriano,  asking  him  his 
name  and  place  of  residence,  to  which  he  re- 
plied that  his  name  was  Victoriano  Lopez, 
and  that  he  was  a  native  of  Villa  Seca,  in  the 
Sagra  of  Toledo.  The  curate  then  demanded 
what  religion  he  professed]  and  whether  he 
was  a  Mahometan,  or  freemason?  and  re- 
ceived for  answer  that  he  was  a  Roman  Ca- 
tholic. I  must  here  state,  that  Victoriano, 
though  sufficiently  shrewd  in  his  way,  was  a 
poor  old  labourer  of  sixty-four;  and  until  that 
moment  had  never  heard  either  of  Mahome- 
tans or  freemasons.  The  curate  becoming 
now  incensed,  called  him  a  tunanie  or  scoun- 
drel, and  added,  you  have  sold  your  soul  to  a 
heretic ;  we  have  long  been  aware  of  your 
proceedings,  and  those  of  your  master.  You 
are  the  same  Lopez,  whom  he  last  year  res- 
cued from  the  prison  of  Villallos,  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Avila ;  1  sincerely  hope  that  he  will 
attempt  to  do  the  same  thing  here.  "  Yes, 
yes,"  shouted  the  rest  of  the  conclave,  "  let 
him  but  venture  here,  and  we  will  shed  his 
heart's  blood  on  our  stones."  In  this  man- 
ner they  went  on  for  nearly  half  an  hour.  At 
last  they  broke  up  the  meeting,  and  conduct- 
ed Victoriano  once  more  to  his  prison. 

During  his  confinement  he  lived  tolerably 
well,  being  in  possession  of  money.  His 
meals  were  sent  him  twice  a  day  from  the 
posada,  where  his  pony  remained  in  embargo. 
Once  or  twice  he  asked  permission  of  the 
alcalde,  who  visited  him  every  night  and 
morning  with  his  armed  guard,  to  purchase 
pen  and  paper,  in  order  that  he  might  write 
to  Madrid ;  but  this  favour  was  peremptorily 
refused  him,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  vil- 
lage were  forbidden  under  terrible  penalties 
to  afford  him  the  means  of  writing,  or  to  con- 
vey any  message  from  him  beyond  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  place,  and  two  boys  were  sta- 
tioned before  the  window  of  his  cell  for  the 
purpose  of  watching  every  thing  which  might 
be  conveyed  to  him. 

It  happened  one  day  that  Victoriano,  being 
in  need  of  a  pillow,  sent  word  to  the  people 
of  the  posada  to  send  him  his  alforjas  or  sad- 
dlebags, which  they  did.  In  these  bags  there 
chanced  to  be  a  kind  of  rope,  or,  as  it  is  called 
in  Spanish,  soga,  with  which  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  fastening  his  satchel  to  the  pony's 
back.  The  urchins  seeing  an  end  of  this 
rope,  hanging  from  the  alforjas,  instantly  ran 
to  the  alcalde  to  give  him  information.  Late 
at  evening,  the  alcalde  again  visited  the  pri- 
soner at  the  head  of  his  twelve  men  as  usual. 
"  Buenas  noc/ies,^^  said  the  alcalde.  "  Buenaa 
norJies  tenga  usted,^^  replied  Victoriano.  "  For 
what  purpose  did  you  send  for  the  soga  this 
afternoon  ■?"  demanded  the  functionary.  "1 
sent  for  no  soga,"  said  the  prisoner,  "  I  sent 
for  my  alforjas  to  serve  as  a  pillow,  and  it 
was  sent  in  them  by  chance."  "You  are  a 
false  malicious  knave,"  retorted  the  alcalde  ; 
"  you  intend  to  hang  yourself,  and  by  so  doing 
ruin  us  all,  as  your  death  would  be  laid  at  our  | 
door.  Give  me  the  soga."  No  greater  in- 
Bult  can  be  offered  to  a  Spaniard  than  to  tax 


him  with  an  mtention  of  committing  suicide. 
Poor  Victoriano  flew  into  a  violent  rage,  and 
after  calling  the  alcalde  several  very  uncivil 
names,  he  pulled  the  soga  from  his  bags,  flung 
it  at  his  head :  and  told  him  to  take  it  home 
and  use  it  for  his  own  neck. 

At  length  the  people  of  the  posada  took 
pity  on  the  prisoner,  perceiving  that  he  was 
very  harshly  treated  for  no  crime  at  all ;  they 
therefore  determined  to  afford  him  an  oppor- 
tunity of  informing  his  friends  of  his  situation, 
and  accordingly  sent  him  a  pen  and  inkhorn, 
concealed  in  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  a  piece  of 
writing  paper,  pretending  that  the  latter  was 
intended  for  cigars.  So  Victoriano  wrote  the 
letter;  but  now  ensued  the  difficulty  of  send- 
inof  it  to  its  destination,  as  no  person  in  the 
village  dare  have  carried  it  for  any  reward. 
The  good  people,  however,  persuaded  a  dis- 
banded soldier  from  another  village,  who 
chanced  to  be  at  Fuente  la  Higuera  in  quest 
of  work,  to  charge  himself  with  it,  assuring 
him  that  I  would  pay  him  well  for  his  trou- 
ble. The  man,  watching  his  opportunity,  re- 
ceived the  letter  from  Victoriano  at  the  win- 
dow :  and  it  was  he  who,  after  travelling  on 
foot  all  night,  delivered  it  to  me  in  safety  at 
Madrid. 

I  was  now  relieved  from  my  anxiety,  and 
had  no  fears  for  the  result.  I  instantly  went 
to  a  friend  who  is  in  possession  of  large  es- 
tates about  Guadalajara,  in  which  province 
Fuente  la  Higuera  is  situated,  who  furnished 
me  with  letters  to  the  civil  governor  of  Guada- 
lajara and  all  the  principal  authorities  ;  these 
I  delivered  to  Antonio,  whom,  at  his  own  re- 
quest, I  despatched  on  the  errand  of  the  pri- 
soner's liberation.  He  first  directed  his  course 
to  Fuente  la  Higuera,  where,  entering  the  al- 
calde's house,  he  boldly  told  him  what  he  had 
come  about.  The  alcalde  expecting  that  I 
was  at  hand,  with  an  army  of  Englishmen, 
for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  the  prisoner,  be- 
came greatly  alarmed,  and  instantly  despatch- 
ed his  wife  to  summon  his  twelve  men  ;  how- 
ever, on  Antonio's  assuring  him  that  there  was 
no  intention  of  having  recourse  to  violence,  he 
became  more  tranquil.  In  a  short  time  An- 
tonio was  summoned  before  the  conclave  and 
its  blind  sacerdotal  president.  They  at  first 
attempted  to  frighten  him  by  assuming  a  loud 
bullying  tone,  and  talking  of  the  necessity  of 
killing  all  strangers,  and  especially  the  detest- 
ed Don  Jorge  and  his  dependents.  Antonio, 
however,  who  was  not  a  person  apt  to  allow 
himself  to  be  easily  terrified,  scoffed  at  their 
threats,  and  showing  them  his  letters  to  tli« 
authorities  of  Guadalajara,  said  that  he  should 
proceed  there  on  the  morrow  and  denounce 
their  lawless  conduct,  adding  that  he  was  a 
Turkish  subject,  and  that  should  they  dare  to 
offer  him  the  slightest  incivility,  he  would 
write  to  the  Sublime  Porte,  in  comparison 
with  whom  the  best  kings  in  the  world  were 
but  worms,  and  who  would  not  fail  to  avenge 
the  wrongs  of  any  of  his  children,  however 
distant,  in  a  manner  too  terrible  to  be  mention- 
ed. He  then  returned  to  his  posada.  'I'he 
conclave  now  proceeded  to  deliberate  amongst 


190 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


themselves,  and  at  last  determined  to  send 
their  prisoner  on  the  morrow  to  Guadalajara, 
and  deliver  him  into  the  hands  of  the  civil  go- 
vernor. 

Nevertheless,  in  order  to  keep  up  a  sem- 
blance of  authority,  they  that  night  placed  two 
men  armed  at  the  door  of  the  posada  where 
Antonio  was  lodged,  as  if  he  himself  were  a 
prisoner.  These  men,  as  often  as  the  clock 
struck  the  hour,  shouted  "  Ave  Maria  !  Death 
to  the  heretics."  Early  in  the  morning  the 
alcalde  presented  himself  at  the  posada,  but 
before  entering  he  made  an  oration  at  the  door 
to  the  people  in  the  street,  saying,  amongst 
other  things,  "  Brethren,  these  are  the  fellows 
who  have  come  to  rob  us  of  our  religion."  He 
then  went  in  to  Antonio's  apartment,  and  after 
saluting  him  with  great  politeness,  said,  that 
as  a  royal  or  high  mass  was  about  to  be  cele- 
brated that  morning,  he  had  come  to  invite 
him  to  go  to  church  with  him.  Whereupon 
Antonio,  though  by  no  means  a  mass-goer, 
rose  and  accompanied  him,  and  remained  two 
hours,  as  he  told  me,  on  his  knees  on  the  cold 


I  stones,  to  his  great  discomfort;  the  eyes  of  the 
!  whole  congregation  being  fixed  upon  him  du- 
[  ring  the  time. 

After  mass  and  breakfast,  he  departed  for 

1  Guadalajara,  Victoriano  having  been  already 

despatched  under  a  guard.     On  his  arrival,  he 

i  presented  his   letters   to  the  individuals  for 

I  whom  they  were  intended.  The  civil  governor 

was  convulsed   with   merriment  on  hearing 

I  Antonio's  account  of  the  adventure.     Victo- 

i  riano  was  set  at  liberty,  and  the  books  w^ere 

i  placed  in  embargo  at  Guadalajara ;  the  governor 

■  stating,  however,  that  thouorh  it  was  his  duty 

[  to  detain  them  at  present,  they  should  be  sent 

to  me  whenever  I  chose  to  claim  them :  he 

moreover  said  that  he  would  do  his  best  to 

cause  the  authorities  of  Fuente  la  Higuera  to 

be  severely  punished,  as  in  the  wliole  affair 

they  had  acted  in  the  most  cruel,  tyMnnical 

manner,  for  which   they    had   no   authority. 

j  Thus  terminated  this  affair,  one  of  those  little 

:  accidents  which  chequer  missionary  life  in 

Spain. 


CHAPTER  XLVII 

Termination  of  our  rural  Labours — Alarm  of  the  Clergy — A  new-  Experiment — Success  at  Madrid — 
Goblin-Alguazil — Staff  of  Office — The  Correigidor — An  Explanation — The  Pope  in  England — 
New  Testament  Expounded — Works  of  Luther. 


We  proceeded  in  our  task  of  distributing 
the  Scriptures  with  various  success,  until  the 
middle  of  March,  when  I  determined  upon 
starting  for  Talavera,  for  the  purpose  of  see- 
ing what  it  was  possible  to  accomplish  in  that 
town  and  the  neighbourhood.  I  accordingly 
bent  my  course  in  that  direction,  accompanied 
by  Antonio  and  Victoriano.  On  our  way 
thither  we  stopped  at  Naval  Carnero,  a  large 
village  five  leagues  to  the  west  of  Madrid, 
where  I  remained  three  days,  sending  forth 
Victoriano  to  the  circumjacent  hamlets  with 
small  cargoes  of  Testaments.  Providence, 
however,  which  had  hitherto  so  remarkably 
favoured  us  in  these  rural  excursions,  now 
withdrew  from  us  its  support,  and  brought 
them  to  a  sudden  termination  ;  for  in  whatever 
place  the  sacred  writings  were  offered  for  sale, 
they  were  forthwith  seized  by  persons  who 
appeared  to  \}e  upon  the  watch ;  which  events 
compelled  me  to  alter  my  intention  of  proceed- 
ing to  Talavera  and  to  return  fortiiwith  to 
Madrid. 

I  subsequently  learned  that  our  proceedings 
on  the  other  side  of  Madrid  having  caused 
alarm  amongst  the  heads  of  the  clergy,  they 
had  made  a  formal  complaint  to  the  govern- 
ment, who  immediately  sent  orders  to  all  the 
alcaldes  of  the  villages,  great  and  small,  in 
New  Castile,  to  seize  the  New  Testament 
wherever  it  might  be  exposed  for  sale ;  but  at 
the  same  time  enjoining  them  to  be  particular- 
ly careful  not  to  detain  or  maltreat  the  person 
or  persons  who  might  be  attempting  to  vend  it. 


An  exact  description  of  myself  accompanied 
these  orders,  and  the  authorities  both  civil  and 
military  were  exhorted  to  be  on  their  guard 
against  me  and  my  arts  and  machinations ; 
for,  as  the  document  stated,  I  was  to-day  in 
in  one  place,  and  to-morrow  at  twenty  leagues' 
distance. 

I  was  not  much  discouraged  by  this  blow, 
which  indeed  did  not  come  entirely  unexpect- 
ed. I,  however,  determined  to  change  the 
sphere  of  action,  and  not  expose  the  sacred 
volume  to  seizure  at  every  step  which  I 
should  take  to  circulate  it.  In  my  late  at- 
tempts, I  had  directed  my  attention  exclusive- 
ly to  the  villages  and  small  towns,  in  which 
it  was  quite  easy  for  the  government  to  baffle 
my  efforts  by  means  of  circulars  to  the  local 
authorities,  who  would  of  course  be  on  the 
alert,  and  whose  vigilance  it  would  be  impos 
sible  to  baffle,  as  every  novelty  which  occurs 
in  a  small  place  is  forthwith  bruited  about. 
But  the  case  would  be  widely  different 
amongst  the  crowds  of  the  capital,  where  1 
could  pursue  my  labours  with  comparative  se- 
crecy. My  present  plan  was  to  abandon  the 
rural  districts,  and  to  offer  the  sacred  volume 
at  Madrid,  from  house  to  house,  at  the  same 
low  price  as  in  the  countr)'.  This  plan  I 
forthwith  put  into  execution. 

Having  an  extensive  acquaintance  amongst 
the  lower  orders,  I  selected  eight  intelligent 
individuals  to  co-operate  with  me,  amongst 
whom  were  five  women.  All  these  I  supplied 
with  Testaments,  and  then  sent  them  forth 


THE    BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


191 


to  all  the  parishes  in  Madrid.  The  result  of 
their  elTorts  more  than  answered  my  expecta» 
tions.  In  less  than  fifteen  days  after  my  re- 
turn from  Naval  Carnero,  nearly  six  hundred 
copies  of  the  life  and  words  of  Him  of  Naza- 
reth had  been  sold  in  the  streets  and  alleys 
of  Madrid:  a  fact  which  I  hope  I  may  be 
permitted  to  mention  with  gladness  and  with 
decent  triumph  in  the  Lord. 

One  of  the  richest  streets  is  the  Calle  Mon- 
tera,  where  reside  the  principal  merchants 
and  shopkeepers  of  Madrid.  It  is,  in  fact, 
the  street  of  commerce,  in  which  respect,  and 
in  being  a  favourite  promenade,  it  corresponds 
with  the  far-lamed  "  Nefsky"  of  St.  Peters- 
burg. Every  house  in  this  street  was  sup- 
plied with  its  Testament,  and  the  same  might 
be  said  witli  respect  to  the  Puerto  del  Sol. 
Nay,  in  some  instances,  every  individual  in 
the  house,  man  and  child,  man-servant  and 
maid-servant,  was  furnished  with  a  copy.  My 
Greek,  Antonio,  made  wonderful  exertions  in 
this  quarter;  and  it  is  but  justice  to  say  that, 
but  for  his  instrumentality,  on  many  occasions, 
I  might  have  been  by  no  means  able  to  give 
so  favourable  an  account  of  the  spread  of 
"  the  Bible  in  Spain."  There  was  a  time 
when  I  was  in  the  habit  of  saying  "  dark 
Madrid,"  an  expression  which,  I  thank  God, 
I  could  now  drop.  It  were  scarcely  just  to 
call  a  city  "  dark,"  in  which  thirteen  hundred 
Testaments  at  least  were  in  circulation,  and 
in  daily  use. 

It  was  novr  that  I  turned  to  account  a  sup- 
ply of  Bibles  which  I  had  received  from  Bar- 
celona, in  sheets,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
preceding  year.  The  demand  for  the  entire 
Scriptures  was  great;  indeed  far  greater  than 
I  could  answer,  as  the  books  were  disposed 
of  faster  than  they  could  be  bound  by  the 
man  whom  I  employed  for  that  purpose. 
Eight-and-twenty  copies  were  bespoken  and 
paid  for  before  delivery.  Many  of  these  Bi- 
bles found  their  way  into  the  best  houses  in 
Madrid.  The  Marquis  of  *****  had  a 
large  family,  but  every  individual  of  it,  old 
and  young,  was  in  possession  of  a  Bible,  and 
likewise  a  Testament,  which,  strange  to  say, 
were  recommended  by  the  chaplain  of  the 
house.  One  of  my  most  zealous  agents  in 
the  propagation  of  the  Bible  was  an  ecclesi- 
astic. He  never  walked  out  without  carrying 
one  beneath  his  gown,  which  he  offered  to  the 
first  j)erson  he  met  whom  he  thought  likely 
to  purchase.  Another  excellent  assistant  was 
an  elderly  gentleman  of  Navarre,  enormously 
rich,  who  was  continually  purchasing  copies 
on  his  own  account,  which  he,  as  I  was  told, 
sent  into  his  native  province,  for  distribution 
amongst  his  friends  and  the  poor. 

On  a  certain  night  I  had  retired  to  rest  rather 
more  early  than  usual,  being  slightly  indis- 
posed. I  soon  fell  asleep,  and  had  continued 
so  for  some  hours,  when  I  was  suddenly 
aroused  by  the  openinnr  of  the  door  of  the 
small  apartment  in  which  I  lay.  I  started  up, 
and  beheld  Maria  Diaz,  with  a  lamp  in  her 
hand,  enter  the  room.  I  observed  that  her 
features,  which  were  in  general  peculiarly 


calm  and  placid,  bore  a  somewhat  startled  ex- 
pression. "  What  is  the  hour,  and  what 
brings  you  here!"  I  demanded. 

"  Seiior,"  said  she,  closing  the  door,  and 
coming  up  to  the  bed-side.  "  It  is  close  upon 
midnight ;  but  a  messenger  belonging  to  the 
police  has  just  entered  the  house,  and  de- 
manded to  see  you.  I  told  him  that  it  was 
impossible,  for  that  your  worship  was  in  bed. 
Whereupon  he  sneezed  in  my  face,  and  said 
that  he  would  see  you  if  you  were  in  your 
coffin.  He  has  all  the  look  of  a  goblin,  and 
has  thrown  me  into  a  tremor.  I  am  far  from 
being  a  timid  person,  as  you  are  aware,  Don 
Jorge;  but  I  confess  that  I  never  cast  my 
eyes  on  these  wretches  of  the  police,  but  my 
heart  dies  away  within  me !  I  know  them 
but  too  well,  and  what  they  are  capable  of." 
"Pooh,"  said  I,  "be  under  no  apprehen- 
sion, let  him  come  in,  I  fear  him  not,  whether 
he  be  alguazil  or  hobgoblin.  Stand,  how- 
ever, at  the  doorway,  that  you  may  be  a  wit- 
ness of  what  lakes  place,  as  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  he  comes  at  this  unseasonable 
hour  to  create  a  disturbance,  that  he  may  have 
an  opportunity  of  making  an  unfavourable  re- 
port to  his  principals,  like  the  fellow  on  the 
former  occasion." 

The  hostess  left  the  apartment,  and  I  heard 
her  say  a  word  or  two  to  some  one  in  the  pas- 
sage, whereupon  there  was  a  loud  sneeze,  and 
in  a  moment  after  a  singular  figure  appeared 
at  the  doorway.  It  was  that  of  a  very  old 
man,  with  long  white  hair,  which  escaped 
from  beneath  the  eaves  of  an  exceedingly  high- 
peaked  hat.  He  stooped  considerably,  and 
moved  along  with  a  shambling  gait.  I  could 
not  see  much  of  his  face,  M^hich,  as  the  land- 
lady stood  behind  him  with  the  lamp,  was 
consequently  in  deep  shadow.  I  could  ob- 
serve, however,  that  his  eyes  sparkled  like 
those  of  a  ferret.  He  advanced  to  the  foot 
of  the  bed,  in  which  I  was  still  lying,  won- 
dering what  this  strange  visit  could  mean ;  and 
there  he  stood  gazing  at  me  for  a  minute,  at 
least,  without  uttering  a  syllable.  Suddenly, 
however,  he  protruded  a  spare  skinny  hand 
from  the  cloak  in  which  it  had  hitherto  been 
enveloped,  and  pointed  with  a  short  staff, 
tipped  with  metal,  in  the  direction  of  my  face, 
as  if  he  were  commencing  an  exorcism.  He 
appeared  to  be  about  to  speak,  but  his  words, 
if  he  intended  any,  were  stifled  in  their  birth 
by  a  sudden  sternutation  which  escaped  him, 
and  which  was  so  violent  that  the  hostess  start- 
ed back,  exclaiming, "  Ave  Maria,  purisima !" 
and  nearly  dropped  the  lamp  in  her  alarm. 

"  My  good  person,"  said  I,  "  what  do  you 
mean  by  this  foolish  hobgoblinary'?  If  you 
have  any  thing  to  communicate  do  so  at  once, 
and  go  about  your  business.  I  am  unwell, 
and  you  are  deprivin?  me  of  my  repose." 

"  IBy  the  virtue  of  this  staff,"  said  the  old 
man,  "  and  the  authority  which  it  gives  me 
to  do  and  say  that  which  is  convenient,  I  do 
command,  order,  and  summon  you  to  appear 
to-morrow,  at  the  eleventh  hour,  at  the  office 
of  mv  lord  the  corregidor  of  this  village  of 
Aladrid,  in  order  that,  standing  before  him 


192 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


humbly,  and  with  befitting  reverence,  you  may 
listen  to  whatever  he  may  have  to  say,  or  if 
necessary,  may  yield  yourself  up  to  receive 
the  castigation  of  any  crimes  which  you  may 
have  committed,  whether  trivial  or  enormous, 
Tenez,  compere,''^  he  added  in  most  villanous 
French,  ^^voilu  man  affaire;  vuild  ce  que  Je 
viens  vous  dire." 

Thereupon  he  glared  at  me  for  a  moment, 
nodded  his  head  twice,  and  replacing  his 
staff  beneath  his  cloak,  shambled  out  of  the 
room,  and,  with  a  valedictory  sneeze  in  tlie 
passage,  left  the  house. 

Precisely  at  eleven  on  the  following  day,  I 
attended  at  the  office  of  the  corregidor.  He 
was  not  the  individual  whose  anger  I  had  in- 
curred on  a  former  occasion,  and  who  had 
thought  proper  to  imprison  me,  but  another 
person,  I  believe  a  Catalan,  whose  name  I 
have  also  forgotten.  Indeed,  these  civil  em- 
ployments were  at  this  period  given  to-day 
and  taken  away  to-morrow,  so  that  the  per- 
son who  held  one  of  them  for  a  month  might 
consider  himself  a  functionary  of  long  stand- 
ing. I  was  not  kept  waiting  a  moment,  but 
as  soon  as  I  had  announced  myself,  was 
forthwith  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the 
corregidor,  a  good-looking,  portly,  and  well- 
dressed  personage,  seemingly  about  fifty.  He 
was  writing  at  a  desk  when  I  entered,  but 
almost  immediately  arose  and  came  towards 
me.  He  looked  me  full  in  the  face,  and  I, 
nothing  abashed,  kept  my  eyes  fixed  upon 
his.  He  had,  perhaps,  expected  a  less  inde- 
pendent bearing,  and  that  I  should  have  quaked 
and  crouched  before  him ;  but  now,  conceiv- 
ing himself  bearded  in  his  own  den,  his  old 
Spanish  leaven  was  forthwith  stirred  up.  He 
plucked  his  whiskers  fiercely.  "  Escuchad," 
said  he,  casting  upon  me  a  ferocious  glance, 
"I  wish  to  ask  you  a  question." 

"  Before  I  answer  any  question  of  your  ex- 
cellency," said  I,  "I  shall  take  the  liberty  of 
putting  one  myself.  What  law  or  reason  is 
there  that  I,  a  peaceable  individual  and  a  fo- 
reigner, should  have  my  rest  disturbed  by  du- 
endes  and  hobgoblins  sent  at  midnight  to  sum- 
mon me  to  appear  at  public  offices  like  a 
criminal^' 

"  Usted  falta  d  la  verdad,"  shouted  the  cor- 
regidor; "  the  person  sent  to  summon  you  was 
neither  duende  nor  hobgoblin,  but  one  of  the 
most  ancient  and  respectable  officers  of  this 
casa,  and  so  far  from  being  despatched  at  mid- 
night, it  wanted  twenty-five  minutes  to  that 
hour  by  my  own  watch  when  he  left  this  of- 
fice, and  as  your  lodging  is  not  distant,  he 
must  have  arrived  there  at  least  ten  minutes 
before  midnight,  so  that  you  are  by  no  means 
accurate,  and  are  found  wanting  in  regard  to 
truth." 

"A  distinction  without  a  difft^rence,"  I  re- 
plied. "  For  my  own  part,  if  1  am  to  be  dis- 
turbed in  my  sleep,  it  is  of  little  consequence 
whether  at  midnicrht  or  ten  minutes  before 
that  time;  and  with  respect  to  your  messen- 
ger, although  he  might  not  be  a  hobgoblin,  he 
had  all  the  appearance  of  one,  and  assuredly 
answered  the  purpose,  by  frightening  the  wo- 


man of  the  house  almost  into  fits  by  his  hide- 
ous grimaces  and  sneezing  convulsions." 

Corregidor. — You  are  a — yo  no  se  que.  Do 
you  know  that  I  have  the  power  to  imprison 
you  ] 

3Ti/se/f. — You  have  twenty  alguazils  at  your 
beck  and  call,  and  have  of  course  the  power, 
and  so  had  your  predecessor,  who  nearly  lost 
his  situation  by  imprisoning  me;  but  you 
know  full  well  that  you  have  not  the  right,  as 
I  am  not  under  your  jurisdiction,  but  that  of 
the  Captain-general.  If  1  have  obeyed  your 
summons,  it  was  simply  because  I  had  a  curi- 
osity to  know  what  you  wanted  with  me,  and 
from  no  other  motive  whatever.  As  for  im- 
prisoning me,  I  beg  leave  to  assure  you,  that 
you  have  my  full  consent  to  do  so;  the  most 
polite  society  in  Madrid  is  to  be  found  in  the 
prison,  and  as  I  am  at  present  compiling  a  vo- 
cabulary of  the  language  of  the  Madrileniau 
thieves,  I  should  have,  in  being  imprisoned, 
an  excellent  opportunity  of  completing  it. 
There  is  much  to  be  learnt  even  in  the  prison, 
for,  as  the  gipsies  say,  "The  dog  that  trots 
about  finds  a  bone." 

Corregidor. — Your  words  are  not  those  of 
a  Caballero.  Do  you  forget  where  you  are, 
and  in  whose  presence?  Is  this  a  fitting 
place  to  talk  of  thieves  and  gipsies  in  1    ' 

Myself. — Really  I  know  of  no  place  more 
fitting,  unless  it  be  the  prison.  But  'we  are 
wasting  time,  and  I  am  anxious  to  know  for 
what  I  have  been  summoned ;  whether  for 
crimes  trivial  or  enormous,  as  the  messenger 
said. 

It  was  a  longtime  before  I  could  obtain  the 
required  information  from  the  incensed  Cor- 
regidor; at  last,  however,  it  came.  It  ap- 
peared that  a  box  of  Testaments,  which  I  had 
despatched  to  Naval  Carnero,had  been  seized 
by  the  local  authorities,  and  having  been  de- 
tained there  for  some  time,  was  at  last  sent 
back  to  Madrid,  intended,  as  it  now  appeared, 
for  the  hands  of  the  Corregidor.  One  day  as 
it  was  lying  at  the  wagon-office,  Antonio 
chanced  to  enter  on  some  business  of  his  own 
and  recognised  the  box,  which  he  instantly 
claimed  as  my  property,  and  having  paid  the 
carriage,  removed  it  to  my  warehouse.  He 
had  considered  the  matter  as  of  so  little  im- 
portance, that  he  had  not  as  yet  mentioned  it 
to  me.  The  poor  Corregidor,  however,  had 
no  doubt  that  it  was  a  deep-laid  scheme  to 
plunder  and  insult  him.  And  now,  working 
himself  up  into  almost  a  frenzy  of  excitement, 
he  stamped  on  the  ground,  exclaiming,  "  Que 
picardia!     Que  infamia!" 

The  old  system,  thought  I,  of  prejudging 
people  and  imputing  to  them  motives  and  ac- 
tions of  which  they  never  dreamed.  I  then 
told  him  frankly,  that  I  was  entirely  ignorant 
of  the  circumstance  by  which  he  had  felt  him- 
self aggrieved  ;  but  that  if  upon  inquiry  I 
found  that  the  chest  had  actually  been  removed 
by  my  servant  from  the  office  to  which  it  had 
been  forwarded,  I  would  cause  it  forthwith  to 
be  restored,  although  it  was  my  own  property. 
"I  have  plenty  more  Testaments,"  said  I, 
"  and  can  afford  to  lose  fifty  or  a  hundred.    I 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


193 


am  a  man  of  peace,  and  wish  not  to  have  any 
dispute  with  the  authorities  for  the  sake  of  an 
old  chest  and  a  cargo  of  books,  whose  united 
value  would  scarcely  amount  to  forty  dollars." 

He  looked  at  me  for  a  moment,  as  if  in 
doubt  of  my  sincerity,  then,  again  plucking 
his  whiskers,  he  forthwith  proceeded  to  at- 
tack me  in  another  quarter :  "  Pero  que  infa- 
min,  que  picardia .'  to  come  into  Spain  for  tlie 
Durpnse  of  overturning  the  religion  of  the 
country.  What  would  you  say  if  the  Spa- 
niards were  to  go  to  England  and  attempt  to 
overturn  the  Lutheranism  established  there?" 

"They  would  be  most  heartily  welcome," 
I  replied ;  "  more  especially  if  they  would 
attempt  to  do  so  by  circulating  the  Bible,  the 
book  of  Christians,  even  as  the  English  are 
doing  in  Spain.  But  your  excellency  is  not 
perhaps  aware  that  the  Pope  has  a  fair  field 
and  fair  play  in  England,  and  is  permitted  to 
make  as  many  converts  from  Lutheranism 
every  day  in  the  week  as  are  disposed  to  go 
over  to  him.  He  cannot  boast,  however,  of 
much  success ;  the  people  are  too  fond  of 
light  to  embrace  darkness,  and  would  smile 
at  the  idea  of  exchanging  their  gospel  privi- 
leges for  the  superstitious  ceremonies  and 
observances  of  the  church  of  Rome." 

On  my  repeating  my  promise  that  the  books 
and  chest  should  be  forthwith  restored,  the 
Corregidor  declared  himself  satisfied,  and  all 
of  a  sudden  became  excessively  polite  and 
condescending  :  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  say 
that  he  left  it  entirely  with  myself,  whether 
to  return  the  books  or  not ;  "  and,"  continued 
he,  "  before  you  go,  I  wish  to  tell  you  that 
my  private  opinion  is,  that  it  is  highly  advi- 
sable in  all  countries  to  allow  full  and  perfect 
tolerance  in  religious  matters,  and  to  permit 
every  religious  system  to  stand  or  fall  accord- 
ing to  its  own  merits." 

Such  were  the  concluding  words  of  the 
Corregidor  of  Madrid,  which,  whether  they 
expressed  his  private  opinion  or  not,  were 
certainly  grounded  on  sense  and  reason.  I 
saluted  him  respectfully  and  retired,  and 
forthwith  performed  my  promise  with  regard  to 
the  books ;  and  thus  terminated  this  affair. 

It  almost  appeared  to  me  at  this  time,  that 
a  religious  reform  was  commencing  in  Spain ; 
indeed,  matters  had  of  late  come  to  my  know- 
ledge, which,  had  they  been  prophesied  only 
a  year  before,  I  should  have  experienced 
much  difficulty  in  believing. 

The  reader  will  be  surprised  when  I  state 
that  in  two  churches  of  Madrid,  the  New 
Testament  was  regularly  expounded  every 
Sunday  evening  by  the  respective  curates,  to 
about  twenty  children  who  attended,  and  who 
were  all  provided  with  copies  of  the  Society's 


edition  of  Madrid,  1837.  The  churches 
w^iich  I  allude  to  were  those  of  San  Gines 
and  Santa  Cruz.  Now  I  humbly  conceive 
that  this  fact  alone  is  more  than  equivalent 
to  all  the  expense  which  the  society  had  in- 
curred in  the  efforts  which  it  had  been  making 
to  introduce  the  Gospel  into  Spain;  but  be 
this  as  it  may,  I  am  certain  that  it  amply  re- 
compensed me  for  all  the  anxiety  and  un- 
happiness  which  I  had  undergone.  I  now 
felt  that  whenever  I  should  be  compelled  to 
discontinue  my  labours  in  the  Peninsula,  I 
should  retire  without  the  slightest  murmur, 
my  heart  being  filled  with  gratitude  to  the 
Lord  for  having  permitted  me,  useless  vessel 
as  I  was,  to  see  at  least  some  of  the  seed 
springing  up,  which  during  two  years  I  had 
been  casting  on  the  stony  ground  of  the  inte- 
rior of  Spain. 

When  I  recollected  the  difficulties  which 
had  encompassed  our  path,  I  could  sometimes 
hardly  credit  all  that  the  Almighty  had  per- 
mitted us  to  accomplish  within  the  last  year. 
A  large  edition  of  the  New  Testament  had 
been  almost  entirely  disposed  of  in  the  very 
centre  of  Spain,  in  spite  of  the  opposition 
and  the  furious  cry  of  the  sanguinary  priest- 
hood and  the  edicts  of  a  deceitful  govern- 
ment, and  a  spirit  of  religious  inquiry  ex- 
cited, which  I  had  fervent  hope  would  sooner 
or  later  lead  to  blessed  and  most  important 
results.  Till  of  late  the  name  most  abhorred 
and  dreaded  in  these  parts  of  Spain  was  that 
of  Martin  Luther,  who  was  in  general  consi- 
dered as  a  species  of  demon,  a  cousin-german 
to  Belial  and  Beelzebub,  who,  under  the 
disguise  of  a  man,  wrote  and  preached  blas- 
phemy against  the  Highest;  yet  now,  strange 
to  say,  this  once  abominated  personage  was 
spoken  of  with  no  slight  degree  of  respect. 
People  with  Bibles  in  their  hands  not  un- 
frequently  visited  me,  inquiring  with  much 
earnestness,  and  with  no  slight  degree  of 
simplicity,  for  the  writings  of  the  great 
Doctor  Martin,  whom,  indeed,  some  supposed 
to  be  still  alive. 

It  will  be  as  well  here  to  observe,  that  of 
all  the  names  connected  with  the  reformation, 
that  of  Luther  is  the  only  one  known  in 
Spain;  and  let  me  add,  that  no  controversial 
writings  but  his  are  likely  to  be  esteemed  as 
possessing  the  slightest  weight  or  authority, 
however  great  their  intrinsic  merit  may  be. 

The  common  description  of  tracts,  written 
with  the  view  of  exposing  the  errors  of  po- 
pery, are  therefore  not  calculated  to  prove  of 
much  benefit  in  Spain,  though  it  is  probable 
that  much  good  might  be  accomplished  by 
well-executed  translations  of  judicious  se- 
lections from  the  works  of  Luther 


25 


R 


m 


THE   BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

Protected  Journey — A  Scene  of  Blood — The  Friar — Seville — Beauties  of  Seville — Orange  Trees  and 
Flowers — MurUlo — The  Guardian  Angel — Dionysiua— My  Coadjutors — Demand  for  the  Bible. 


By  the  middle  of  April  I  had  sold  as 
many  Testaments  as  I  thought  Madrid  would 
would  bear :  I  therefore  called  in  my  people, 
for  I  was  afraid  to  overstock  the  market,  and 
to  bring  the  book  into  contempt  by  making  it 
too  common.  I  had,  indeed,  by  this  time, 
barely  a  thousand  copies  remaining  of  the 
edition  which  I  had  printed  two  years  pre- 
viously; and  with  respect  to  Bibles,  every 
copy  was  by  this  time  disposed  of,  though 
there  was  still  a  great  demand  for  them, 
which,  of  course,  I  was  unable  to  satisfy. 

With  the  remaining  copies  of  the  Testa- 
ment, I  now  determined  to  betake  myself  to 
Seville,  where  little  had  hitherto  been  effect- 
ed in  the  way  of  circulation :  my  preparations 
were  soon  made.  The  roads  were  at  this 
time  in  a  highly  dangerous  state,  on  which 
account  I  thought  to  go  along  with  a  convoy, 
which  was  about  to  start  for  Andalusia. 
Two  days,  however,  before  its  departure,  un- 
derstanding that  the  number  of  people  who 
likewise  proposed  to  avail  themselves  of  it 
was  likely  to  be  very  great,  and  reflecting  on 
the  slowness  of  this  way  of  travelling,  and 
moreover  the  insults  to  which  civilians  were 
frequently  subjected  from  the  soldiers  and 
petty  officers,  I  determined  to  risk  the  journey 
with  the  mail.  This  resolution  I  carried  into 
effect.  Antonio,  whom  I  had  resolved  to  take 
with  me,  and  my  two  horses,  departed  with 
the  convoy,  whilst  in  a  few  days  I  followed 
with  the  mail  courier. 

We  travelled  all  the  way  without  the  slight- 
est accident,  my  usual  wonderful  good  fortune 
accompanying  us.  I  might  well  call  it  won- 
derful, for  I  was  rnnnincr  into  the  den  of  the 
lion ;  the  whole  of  La  Mancha,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  fortified  places,  being  once 
more  in  the  hands  of  Palillos  and  his  ban- 
ditti, who,  whenever  it  pleased  them,  stopped 
the  courier,  burnt  the  vehicle  and  letters,  mur- 
dered the  paltry  escort,  and  carried  away  any 
chance  passenger  to  the  mountains,  where  an 
enormous  ransom  was  demanded,  the  alterna- 
tive being  four  shots  through  the  head,  as  the 
Spaniards  say. 

The  upper  part  of  Andalusia  was  becoming 
rapidly  nearly  as  bad  as  La  Mancha.  The 
last  time  the  mail  had  passed,  it  was  attacked 
at  the  defile  of  La  Rumblar  by  six  mounted 
robbers ;  it  was  guarded  by  an  escort  of  as 
many  soldiers,  but  the  former  suddenly  gal- 
loped from  behind  a  solitary  venta,  and  dashed 
the  soldiers  to  the  ground,  who  were  taken 
quite  by  surprise,  the  hoofs  of  the  robbers' 
horses  making  no  noise  on  account  of  the 
sandy  nature  of  the  ground.  The  soldiers 
were  instantly  disarmed  and  bound  to  olive 
trees,  with  the  exception  of  two,  who  escaped 


amongst  the  rocks ;  they  were  then  mocked 
and  tormented  by  the  robbers,  or  rather  fiends, 
for  nearly  half  an  hour,  when  they  were  shot; 
the  head  of  the  corporal  who  commanded  be- 
ing blown  to  fragments  with  a  blunderbuss. 
The  robbers  then  burned  the  coach,  which 
they  accomplished  by  igniting  the  letters  by 
means  of  the  tow  with  which  tiiey  light  their 
cigars.  The  life  of  the  courier  was  saved  by 
one  of  them,  who  had  formerly  been  his  pos- 
tillion; he  was,  however,  robbed  and  stripped. 
As  we  passed  by  the  scene  of  the  butchery 
the  poor  fellow  wept,  and,  though  a  Spaniard, 
cursed  Spain  and  the  Spaniards,  saying  that 
he  intended  shortly  to  pass  over  to  the  Mo- 
reria,  to  confess  Mahomet,  and  to  learn  the 
law  of  the  Moors,  for  that  any  country  and 
religion  were  better  than  his  own.  He  point- 
ed to  the  tree  where  the  corporal  had  been 
tied ;  though  much  rain  had  fallen  since,  the 
ground  around  was  still  saturated  with  blood, 
and  a  dog  was  gnawing  a  piece  of  the  unfor- 
tunate wretch's  skull,  A  friar  travelled  with 
us  the  whole  way  from  Madrid  to  Seville;  he 
was  of  the  missionaries,  and  was  going  to  the 
Philippine  islands,  to  conquer  {para  congms- 
far),  for  such  was  his  word,  by  which  I  sup- 
pose he  meant  preaching  to  the  Indians.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  journey  he  exhibited  every 
symptom  of  the  most  abject  fear,  which  ope- 
rated upon  him  so  that  he  became  deadly  sick, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  slop  twice  in  the  road 
and  lay  him  amongst  the  green  corn.  He 
said  that  if  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  fac- 
tious, he  was  a  lost  priest,  for  that  they  would 
first  make  him  say  mass,  and  then  blow  him 
up  with  gunpowder.  He  had  been  a  profes- 
sor of  philosophy,  as  he  told  me,  in  one  of  the 
convents  (I  think  it  was  San  Tomas)  of  Ma- 
drid before  their  suppression,  but  appeared  to 
be  grossly  ignorant  of  the  Scriptures,  which 
he  confounded  with  the  works  of  Virgil. 

We  stopped  at  Manzanares  as  usual ;  it 
was  Sunday  morning,  and  the  market-place 
was  crowded  with  people.  I  was  recognised 
in  a  moment,  and  twenty  pair  of  legs  instant- 
ly hurried  away  in  quest  of  the  prophetess, 
who  presently  made  her  Appearance  in  the 
house  to  which  we  had  retired  to  breakfast. 
After  many  greetings  on  both  sides,  she  pro- 
ceeded, in  her  Latin,  to  give  me  an  account 
of  all  that  had  occurred  in  the  village  since  I 
had  last  been  there,  and  of  the  atrocities  oi 
the  factious  in  the  neighbourhood.  I  asked 
her  to  breakfast,  and  introduced  her  to  the 
friar,  whom  she  addressed  in  this  manner: 
^'■Anne  Domine  lieverendissime  fads  adhuc  sa- 
cri/ictum?"  But  the  friar  did  not  understand 
1  her,  and  waxing  angry,  anathematized  her  for 
I  a  witch,  and  bade  her  begone.     She  was, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


195 


however,  not  to  be  disconcerted,  and  com- 
menced singing,  in  extemporary  Castiiian 
verse  the  praises  of  friars  and  religious  houses 
in  general.  On  departing,  I  gave  her  a  pe- 
seta, upon  which  she  burst  into  tears,  and  en- 
treated that  I  would  write  to  her  if  I  reached 
Seville  in  safety. 

We  did  arrive  at  Seville  in  safety,  and  I 
took  leave  of  the  friar,  telling  him  that  I 
hoped  to  meet  him  again  at  Philippi.  As  it 
was  my  intention  to  remain  at  Seville  for 
some  months,  1  determined  to  hire  a  house, 
in  which  I  conceived  I  could  live  with  more 
privacy,  and  at  the  same  lime  more  economi- 
cally than  in  a  posada.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore I  found  one  in  every  respect  suited  to 
me.  It  was  situated  in  the  Plazuela  de  la 
Piia  Seca,  a  retired  part  of  the  city,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  cathedral,  and  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  gale  of  Xeres  ;  and  in  this 
house,  on  the  arrival  of  Antonio  and  the 
horses,  which  occurred  within  a  few  days,  I 
took  up  my  abode. 

T  was  now  once  more  in  beautiful  Seville, 
and  had  soon  ample  time  and  leisure  to  enjoy 
its  delights  and  those  of  the  surrounding 
country  ;  unfortunately,  at  the  time  of  my 
arrival,  and  indeed  for  the  next  ensuing  fort- 
night, the  heaven  of  Andalusia,  in  general  so 
glorious,  was  overcast  with  black  clouds, 
which  discharged  tremendous  showers  of  rain, 
such  as  few  of  the  Sevillians,  according  to 
their  own  account,  had  ever  seen  before. 
This  extraordinary  weather  had  wrought  no 
little  damage  in  the  neighbourhood,  causing 
the  Guadalquivir,  which,  during  the  rainy 
season,  is  a  rapid  and  furious  stream,  to  over- 
flow its  banks  and  to  threaten  an  inundation. 
It  is  true  that  intervals  were  occurring  when 
the  sun  made  his  appearance  from  his  cloudy 
tabernacle,  and  with  his  golden  rays  caused 
every  thing  around  to  smile,  enticing  the 
butterfly  forth  from  the  bush,  and  the  lizard 
from  the  hollow  tree,  and  I  invariably  availed 
myself  of  these  intervals  to  take  a  hasty  pro- 
menade. 

0  how  pleasant  it  is,  especially  in  spring- 
tide, to  stray  along  the  shores  of  the  Guadal- 
quivir. Not  far  from  the  city,  down  the  river, 
lies  a  grove  called  Las  Delicias,  or  the  De- 
lights. It  consists  of  trees  of  various  kinds, 
but  more  especially  of  poplars  and  elms,  and 
is  traversed  by  long  shady  walks.  This 
grove  is  the  favourite  promenade  of  the  Sevil- 
lians, and  there  one  occasionally  sees  assem- 
bled whatever  the  town  produces  of  beauty  or 
gallantry.  There  wander  the  black-eyed 
Andalusian  dames  and  damsels,  clad  in  their 
graceful  silken  mantillas;  and  there  gallops 
the  Andalusian  cavalier  on  his  long-tailed 
thick-rnaned  steed  of  Moorish  ancestry.  As 
the  sun  is  descending,  it  is  enchanting  to 
glance  back  from  this  place  in  the  direction 
of  the  city :  the  prospect  is  inexpressibly 
beautiful.  Yonder,  in  the  distance,  high  and 
enormous,  stands  the  Golden  Tower,  now 
used  as  a  toll-house,  but  the  principal  bul- 
wark of  the  city  in  the  time  of  the  Moors.  It 
stands  on  the  shore  of  the  river,  like  a  giant 


keeping  watch,  and  is  the  first  edifice  which 
attracts  the  eye  of  the  voyager  as  he  moves 
up  the  stream  to  Seville.  On  the  other  side, 
opposite  the  tower,  stands  the  noble  Augus- 
tine convent,  the  ornament  of  the  fauI)ourg  of 
Triana,  whilst  between  the  two  edifices  rolla 
the  broad  Guadalquivir,  bearing  on  its  bosom 
a  flotilla  of  barks  from  Catalonia  and  Va- 
lencia. Farther  up  is  seen  the  bridge  of 
boats  which  traverses  the  water.  The  prin- 
cipal object  of  this  prospect,  however,  is  the 
Golden  Tower,  where  the  beams  of  the  set- 
ting sun  seern  to  be  concentrated  as  in  a  focus, 
so  that  it  appears  built  of  pure  gold,  and  pro- 
bably from  that  circumstance  received  the 
name  which  it  now  bears.  Cold,  cold  must 
the  heart  be  which  can  remain  insensible  to 
the  beauties  of  this  magic  scene,  to  do  justice 
to  which  the  pencil  of  Claude  himself  were 
barely  equal.  Often  have  I  shed  tears  of 
rapture  whilst  I  beheld  it,  and  listened  to  the 
thrush  and  the  nightingale  piping  forth  their 
melodious  songs  in  the  woods,  and  inhaled  the 
breeze  laden  with  the  perfume  of  the  thpu- 
sand  orange  gardens  of  Seville : 

"  Kennst  du  das  land  wo  die  citronen  bluhen  ?" 

The  interior  of  Seville  scarcely  corresponds 
with  the  exterior:  the  streets  are  narrow, 
badly  paved,  and  full  of  misery  and  beggary. 
The  houses  are  for  the  most  part  built  in  the 
Moorish  fashion,  with  a  quadrangular  patio  or 
court  in  the  centre,  where  stands  a  marble 
fountain,  constantly  distilling  limpid  water. 
These  courts,  during  the  time  of  the  summer 
heats,  are  covered  over  with  a  canvas  awn- 
ing, and  beneath  this  the  family  sit  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  day.  In  many,  especially 
those  belonging  to  the  houses  of  the  wealthy, 
are  to  be  found  shrubs,  orange  trees,  and  all 
kinds  of  flowers,  and  perhaps  a  small  aviary, 
so  that  no  situation  can  be  conceived  more 
delicious  than  to  lie  here  in  the  shade,  heark- 
ening to  the  song  of  the  birds  and  the  voice 
of  the  fountain. 

Nothing  is  more  calculated  to  interest  the 
stranger  as  he  wanders  through  Seville,  than  a 
view  of  these  courts  obtained  from  the  street, 
through  the  iron-grated  door.  Oft  have  I 
stopped  to  observe  them,  and  as  often  sighed 
that  my  fVite  did  not  permit  me  to  reside  in 
such  an  Eden  for  the  remainder  of  my  days. 
On  a  former  occasion,  I  have  spoken  of  the 
cathedral  of  Seville,  but  only  in  a  brief  and 
cursory  manner.  It  is  perhaps  the  most  mag- 
nificent cathedral  in  all  Spain,  and  though  not 
so  regular  in  its  architecture  as  those  of  Tole- 
do aiTd  Burgos,  is  far  more  worthy  of  admira- 
tion when  considered  as  a  whole.  It  is  utter- 
ly impossible  to  wander  through  the  long 
aisles,  and  to  raise  one's  eyes  to  ihe  richly  in- 
laid roof,  supported  by  colossal  pillars,  with- 
out experiencing  sensations  of  sacred  awe, 
and  deep  astonishment.  It  is  true  that  the  in- 
terior, like  those  of  the  generality  of  the 
Spanish  cathedrals,  is  somewhat  dark  and 
gloomy  ;  yet  it  loses  nothing  by  this  gloom, 
whichi  on  the  contrary,  rather  increases 
the  solemnity  of  the  effect.     Notre  Uame  of 


196 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


Paris  is  a  noble  building,  yet  to  hira  who 
has  seen  the  Spanish  cathedrals,  and  par- 
ticularly this  of  Seville,  it  almost  appears  tri- 
vial and  mean,  and  more  like  a  town-hall  than 
a  temple  of  the  Eternal.  The  Parisian  cathe- 
dral is  entirely  destitute  of  that  solemn  dark- 
ness and  gloomy  pomp  which  so  abound  in 
the  Sevillian,  and  is  thus  destitute  of  the  prin- 
cipal requisite  to  the  cathedral. 

In  most  of  the  chapels  are  to  be  found  some 
of  the  very  best  pictures  of  the  Spanish 
school;  and  in  particular  many  of  the  master- 
pieces of  Murillo,  a  native  of  Seville.  Of 
all  the  pictures  of  this  extraordinary  man, 
one  of  the  least  celebrated  is  that  which  has 
always  wrought  on  me  the  most  profound  im- 
pression. I  allude  to  the  Guardian  Angel, 
{Jngel  de  la  Guardia,)  a  small  picture  which 
stands  at  the  bottom  of  the  church,  and  looks 
up  the  principal  aisle.  The  angel,  holding  a 
flaming  sword  in  his  right  hand,  is  conducting 
the  child.  This  child  is,  in  my  opinion,  the 
most  wonderful  of  all  the  creations  of  Murillo ; 
the  form  is  that  of  an  infant  about  five  years 
of  age,  and  the  expression  of  the  countenance 
is  quite  infantine,  but  the  tread — it  is  the  tread 
of  a  conqueror,  of  a  God,  of  the  Creator  of  the 
universe  ;  and  the  earthly  globe  appears  to 
tremble  beneath  its  majesty. 

The  service  of  the  cathedral  is  in  general 
•well  attended,  especially  when  it  is  known 
that  a  sermon  is  to  be  preached.  All  these 
sermons  are  extemporaneous ;  some  of  them 
are  edifying  and  faithful  to  the  Scriptures. 
I  have  often  listened  to  thera  with  plea- 
sure, though  I  was  much  surprised  to  re- 
mark, that  when  the  preachers  quoted  from 
the  Bible,  their  quotations  were  almost  inva- 
liabl}'  taken  from  the  apocrj'phal  writings. 
There  is  in  general  no  lack  of  worshippers  at 
the  principal  shrines — women  for  the  most 
part — many  of  whom  appear  to  be  animated 
with  the  most  fervent  devotion. 

I  had  flattered  myself,  previous  to  my  de- 
parture from  Madrid,  that  I  should  have  expe- 
rienced but  little  difficulty  in  the  circulation 
of  the  Gospel  in  Andalusia,  at  least  for  a  time, 
as  the  field  was  new,  and  myself  and  the  ob- 
ject of  my  mission  less  known  and  dreaded 
than  in  New  Castile.  It  appeared,  however, 
that  the  government  at  Madrid  had  fulfilled  its 
threat,  transmitting  orders  throughout  Spain 
for  the  seizure  of  my  books  wherever  found. 
The  Testaments  that  arrived  from  Madrid 
were  seized  at  the  custom-house,  to  which 
place  all  goods  on  their  arrival,  even  from  the 
interior,  are  carried,  in  order  that  a  duty  be  im- 
posed upon  them.  Through  the  management 
of  Antonio,  however,  I  procured  one  of  the 
two  chests,  whilst  the  other  was  sent  down  to 
San  Lucar,  to  be  embarked  for  a  foreign  land 
as  soon  as  I  could  make  arrangements  for  that 
purpose. 

I  did  not  permit  myself  to  be  discouraged 
by  this  slight  contretemps.,  although  I  heartily 
regretted  the  loss  of  the  books  which  had  been 
seized,  and  which  I  could  no  longer  hope  to 
circulate  in  these  parts,  where  they  were  so 
mucli  wanted ;  but  I  consoled  myself  with  the 


reflection,  that  I  had  still  several  hundred  at 
my  disposal,  from  the  distribution  of  which, 
if  it  pleased  the  Lord,  a  blessed  harvest  might 
still  proceed. 

I  did  not  commence  operations  for  some 
time,  for  I  was  in  a  strange  place,  and  scarce- 
ly knew  what  course  to  pursue.  I  had  no 
one  to  assist  me  but  poor  Antonio,  who  was 
as  ignorant  of  the  place  as  myself.  Provi- 
dence, however,  soon  sent  me  a  coadjutor,  in 
rather  a  singular  manner.  I  was  standing  in 
the  court-yard  of  the  Reyna  Posada,  where  I 
occasionally  dined,  when  a  man,  singularly 
dressed  and  gigantically  tall,  entered.  My 
curiosity  was  excited,  and  I  inquired  of  the 
master  of  the  house  who  he  was.  He  in- 
formed me  that  he  was  a  foreigner,  who  had 
resided  a  considerable  time  in  Seville,  and  he 
believed  a  Greek.  Upon  hearing  this,  I  in- 
stantly went  up  to  the  stranger,  and  accosted 
him  in  the  Greek  language,  in  which,  though 
I  speak  it  very  ill,  I  can  make  myself  under- 
stood. He  replied  in  the  same  idiom,  and 
flattered  by  the  interest  which  I,  a  foreigner, 
expressed  for  his  nation,  was  not  slow  in 
communicating  to  me  his  history.  He  told 
me  that  his  name  was  Dionysius,  that  he  was 
a  native  of  Cephalonia,  and  had  been  edu- 
cated for  the  church,  which,  not  suiting  his 
temper,  he  had  abandoned,  in  order  to  follow 
the  profession  of  the  sea,  for  which  he  had  an 
early  inclination.  That  after  many  adven- 
tures and  changes  of  fortune,  he  found  him- 
self one  morning  on  the  coast  of  Spain,  a 
shipwrecked  mariner,  and  that,  ashamed  to 
return  to  his  own  country  in  poverty  and  dis- 
tress, he  had  remained  in  the  Peninsula,  re- 
siding chiefly  at  Seville,  where  he  now  car- 
ried on  a  small  trade  in  books.  He  said  that 
he  was  of  the  Greek  religion,  to  which  he 
professed  strong  attachment,  and  soon  disco- 
vering that  I  was  a  Protestant,  spoke  with 
unbounded  abhorrence  of  the  papal  system ; 
nay,  of  its  followers  in  general,  whom  he 
called  Latins,  and  whom  he  charged  with  the 
ruin  of  his  own  country,  inasmuch  as  they 
sold  it  to  the  Turk.  It  instantly  struck  me, 
that  this  individual  would  be  an  excellent  as- 
sistant in  the  work  which  had  brought  me  to 
Seville,  namely,  the  propagation  of  the  eternal 
Gospel,  and  accordingly,  after  some  more 
conversation,  in  which  he  exhibited  consider- 
able learning,  I  explained  myself  to  him.  He 
entered  into  my  views  with  eagerness,  and  in 
the  sequel  I  had  no  reason  to  regret  my  con- 
fidence, he  having  disposed  of  a  considerable 
number  of  New  Testaments,  and  even  con- 
trived to  send  a  certain  number  of  copies  to 
two  small  towns  at  some  distance  from  Seville. 

Another  helper  in  the  circulation  of  the 
Gospel  I  found  in  an  aged  professor  of  music, 
who,  with  much  stiffness  and  ceremonious- 
ness,  united  much  that  was  excellent  and  ad- 
mirable. This  venerable  individual,  only 
three  days  after  I  had  made  his  acquaintance, 
brought  me  the  price  of  six  Testaments  and 
a  gipsy  Gospel,  which  he  had  soW  under  the 
heat  of  an  Andalusian  sun.  What  was  his 
motive  ?    A  Christian  one  truly.    He  said 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


197 


that  his  unfortunate  countrymen,  who  were 
then  robbing  and  murdering  each  other,  might 
probably  be  rendered  better  by  the  reading 
of  the  Gospel,  but  could  never  be  injured. 
Adding,  that  many  a  man  had  been  reformed 
by  the  Scriptures,  but  that  no  one  ever  yet 
became  a  thief  or  assassin  from  its  perusal. 

But  my  most  extraordinary  agent  was  one 
whom  I  occasionally  employed  in  circulating 
the  Scriptures  amongst  the  lower  classes.  I 
might  have  turned  the  services  of  this  indi- 
vidual to  far  greater  account  had  the  quantity 
of  books  at  my  disposal  been  greater;  but 
they  were  now  diminishing  rapidly,  and  as  I 
had  no  hopes  of  a  fresh  supply,  I  was  almost 
tempted  to  be  niggard  of  the  few  which  re- 
mained. This  agent  was  a  Greek  bricklayer, 
by  name  Johannes  Chrysostom,  who  had  been 
introduced  to  me  by  Dionysius.  He  was  a 
native  of  the  Morea,  but  had  been  upwards 
of  thirty-five  years  in  Spain,  so  that  he  had 
almost  entirely  lost  his  native  language. 
Nevertheless,  his  attachment  to  his  own 
country  was  so  strong,  that  he  considered 
whatever  was  not  Greek  as  utterly  barbarous 
and  bad.  Though  entirely  destitute  of  edu- 
cation, he  had,  by  his  strength  of  character, 
and  by  a  kind  of  rude  eloquence  which  he 
possessed,  obtained  such  a  mastery  over  the 
minds  of  the  labouring  classes  of  Seville,  that 
they  assented  to  almost  every  thing  he  said, 
notwithstanding  the  shocks  which  their  pre- 
judices were  continually  receiving.  So  that, 
although  he  was  a  foreigner,  he  could  at  any 
time  have  become  the  Massaniello  of  Seville. 
A  more  honest  creature  I  never  saw ;  and  I 


soon  found  that  if  I  employed  him,  notwith- 
standing his  eccentricities,  I  might  entertain 
perfect  confidence  that  his  actions  would  be 
no  disparagement  to  the  book  he  vended. 

We  were  continually  pressed  for  Bibles, 
which  of  course  we  could  not  supply.  Tes- 
taments were  held  in  comparatively  little 
esteem.  I  had  by  this  time  made  the  dis- 
covery of  a  fact  which  it  would  have  been 
well  had  I  been  aware  of  three  years  before; 
but  we  live  and  learn.  I  mean  the  inexpe- 
diency of  printing  Testaments,  and  Testa- 
ments alone,  for  Catholic  countries.  The 
reason  is  plain  :  the  Catholic,  unused  to 
Scripture  reading,  finds  a  thousand  things 
which  he  cannot  possibly  understand  in  the 
New  Testament,  the  foundation  of  which  is 
the  Old.  "Search  the  Scriptures,  for  they 
bear  witness  of  me,"  may  well  be  applied  to 
this  point.  It  may  be  replied,  that  New  Tes- 
taments separate  are  in  great  demand,  and 
of  infinite  utility  in  England ;  but  England, 
thanks  be  to  the  Lord,  is  not  a  papal  country ; 
and  though  an  English  labourer  may  read  a 
Testament,  and  derive  from  it  the  most 
blessed  fruit,  it  does  not  follow  that  a 
Spanish  or  Italian  peasant  will  enjoy  similar 
success,  as  he  will  find  many  dark  things 
with  which  the  other  is  well  acquainted,  and 
competent  to  understand,  being  versed  in  the 
Bible  history  from  his  childhood.  I  confess, 
however,  that  in  my  summer  campaign  of 
the  preceding  year,  I  could  not  have  accom- 
plished with  Bibles  what  Providence  per- 
mitted me  to  eifect  with  Testaments,  the  for- 
mer being  far  too  bulky  for  rural  journeys. 


r3 


Its 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


The   Solitary  House— The   Dehesa 
Dioiiysius  and  the  Priests 
from  Seville. 


!   Dehesa — Johannes  Chrysostom — Manuel — Bookselhng  at  Sevill 
> — Athens  and  Rome — Proselytism — Seizure  of  Testaments — Depart 


I  HAVE  already  stated,  that  I  had  hired  an 
empty  house  in  Seville,  wherein  I  purposed 
to  reside  for  some  months.  It  stood  in  a  soli- 
tary situation,  occupying  one  side  of  a  small 
square.  It  was  built  quite  in  the  beautiful  taste  of 
Andalusia,  with  a  court  paved  with  small  slabs 
of  white  and  blue  marble.  In  the  middle  of 
this  court  was  a  fountain  well  supplied  with 
the  crystal  lymph,  the  murmur  of  which,  as  it 
fell  from  its  slender  pillar  into  an  octangular 
basin,  might  be  heard  in  every  apartment.  The 
house  itself  was  large  and  spacious,  consist- 
ing of  two  stories,  and  containing  room  suffi- 
cient for  at  least  ten  times  the  number  of  in- 
mates which  now  occupied  it.  I  generally 
kept  during  the  day  in  the  lower  apartments,  on 
account  of  the  refreshing  coolness  which  per- 
vaded them.  In  one  of  these  was  an  immense 
stone  water-trough,  ever  overflowing  with 
water  from  the  fountain,  in  which  I  immersed 
myself  every  morning.  Such  were  the  pre- 
mises to  which,  after  having  provided  myself 
with  a  few  indispensable  articles  of  furniture, 
I  now  retreated  with  Antonio  and  my  two 
horses. 

I  was  fortunate  in  the  possession  of  these 
quadrupeds,  inasmuch  as  it  afforded  me  an  op- 
portunity of  enjoying  to  a  greater  extent  the 
beauties  of  the  surrounding  country.  I  know 
of  few  things  in  this  life  more  delicious  than 
a  ride  in  the  spring  or  summer  season  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Seville.  My  favourite  one 
was  in  the  direction  of  Xerez,  over  the  wide 
Dehesa,  as  it  is  called,  which  extends  from 
Seville  to  the  gates  of  the  former  town,  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  fifty  miles,  with  scarcely  a 
town  or  village  intervening.  The  ground  is 
irregular  and  broken,  and  is  for  the  most  part 
covered  with  that  species  of  brushwood  called 
carrasco,  amongst  which  winds  a  bridle-path, 
by  no  means  well  defined,  chiefly  trodden  by 
the  arrieros,  with  their  long  trains  of  mules 
and  borricos.  It  is  here  that  the  balmy  air  of 
beautiful  Andalusia  is  to  be  inhaled  in  full 
perfection.  Aromatic  herbs  and  flowers  are 
growing  in  abundance,  diflfusing  their  perfume 
around.  Here  dark  and  gloomy  cares  are  dis- 
pelled as  if  by  magic  from  the  bosom,  as  the 
eyes  wander  over  the  prospect,  lighted  by  un- 
equalled sunshine,  in  which  gaily  painted  but- 
terflies wanton,  and  green  and  golden  Sala- 
manquesas  lie  extended,  enjoying  the  luxurious 
warmth,  and  occasionally  startling  the  travel- 
ler, by  springing  up  and  making  off  with 
portentous  speed  to  the  nearest  coverts,  whence 
they  stare  upon  him  with  their  sharp  and  lus- 
trous eyes.  I  repeat,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
continue  melancholy  in  regions  like  these,  and 
the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  were  right  in 


•Departure 


making  them  the  site  of  their  Elysian  fields. 
Most  beautiful  they  are,  even  in  their  present 
desolation,  for  the  hand  of  man  has  not  culti- 
vated them  since  the  fatal  era  of  the  expulsion 
of  the  Moors,  which  drained  Andalusia  of  at 
least  two  thirds  of  its  population. 

Every  evening  it  was  my  custom  to  ride 
along  the  Dehesa,  until  the  topmost  towers  of 
Seville  were  no  longer  in  sight.  I  then  turned 
about,  and  pressing  my  knees  against  the  sides 
of  Sidi  Habismilk,  my  Arabian,  the  fleet  crea- 
ture, to  whom  spur  or  lash  had  never  been  ap- 
plied, would  setoff  in  the  direction  of  the  town 
with  the  speed  of  a  whirlwind,  seeming  in  his 
headlong  course  to  devour  the  ground  of  the 
waste,  until  he  had  left  it  behind,  then  dashing 
through  the  elm-covered  road  of  the  Delicias, 
his  thundering  hoofs  were  soon  heard  beneath 
the  vaulted  archway  of  the  Puerta  de  Xerez, 
and  in  another  moment  he  would  stand  stone 
still  before  the  door  of  my  solitary  house  in  the 
little  silent  square  of  the  Pila  Seca.  ■ 

It  is  eight  o'clock  at  night,  I  am  returned 
from  the  Dehesa,  and  am  standing  on  the 
sotea,  or  flat  roof  of  my  house,  enjoying  the 
cool  breeze.  Johannes  Chrysostom  has  just 
arrived  from  his  labour.  I  have  not  spoken  to 
him,  but  I  hear  him  below  in  the  court-yard, 
detailing  to  Antonio  the  progress  he  has  made 
in  the  last  two  days.  He  speaks  barbarous 
Greek,  plentifully  interlarded  with  Spanish 
words ;  but  I  gather  from  his  discourse,  that 
he  has  already  sold  twelve  Testaments  among 
his  fellow  labourers.  I  hear  copper  coin  fall- 
ing  on  the  pavement,  and  Antonio,  who  is  not 
of  a  very  Christian  temper,  reproving  him  for 
not  having  brought  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  in 
silver.  He  now  asks  for  fifteen  more,  as  he 
says  the  demand  is  becoming  great,  and  that 
he  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  them 
in  the  course  of  the  morrow,  whilst  pursuing 
his  occupations.  Antonio  goes  to  fetch  them, 
and  he  now  stands  alone  by  the  marble  foun- 
tain, singing  a  wild  song,  which  I  believe  to 
be  a  hymn  of  his  beloved  Greek  church.  Be- 
hold one  of  the  helpers  which  the  Lord  has 
sent  me  in  my  Gospel  labours  on  the  shores  of 
the  Guadalquivir. 

I  lived  in  the  greatest  retirement  during  the 
whole  time  that  I  passed  at  Seville,  spending 
the  greater  part  of  each  day  in  study,  or  in  that 
half  dreamy  state  of  inactivity  which  is  the 
natural  effect  of  the  influence  of  a  warm 
climate.  There  was  little  in  the  character  of 
the  people  around  to  induce  me  to  enter  much 
into  society.  The  higher  class  of  the  Andalu- 
sians  are  probably  upon  the  whole  the  most 
vain  and  foolish  of  human  beings,  with  a  taste 
for  nothing  but  sensual  amusements,  foppery 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


199 


in  dress,  and  ribald  discourse.  Their  insolence  j 
is  only  equalled  by  their  meanness,  and  their 
prodigality  by  iheir  avarice.  The  lower 
classes  are  a  shade  or  two  better  than  their 
superiors  in  station :  little,  it  is  true,  can  be 
said  for  the  tone  of  their  morality ;  they  are 
over-reaching,  quarrelsome,  and  revengeful, 
but  they  are  upon  the  whole  more  courteous, 
and  certainly  not  more  ignorant. 

The  Andalusians  are  in  general  held  in  the 
lowest  estimation  by  the  rest  of  the  Spaniards, 
even  those  in  opulent  circumstances  finding 
some  difficulty  at  Madrid  in  procuring  admis- 
sion into  respectable  society,  where,  if  they 
find  their  way,  they  are  invariably  the  objects 
of  ridicule,  from  the  absurd  airs  and  grimaces 
in  which  they  indulge, — their  tendency  to 
boasting  and  exaggeration,  their  curious  accent, 
and  the  incorrect  manner  in  which  they  speak 
and  pronounce  the  Castilian  language. 

In  a  word,  the  Andalusians,  in  all  estimable 
traits  of  character,  are  as  far  below  the  other 
Spaniards  as  the  country  which  they  inhabit 
is  superior  in  beauty  and  fertility  to  the  other 
provinces  of  Spain. 

Yet  let  it  not  for  a  momentbe  supposed  that 
I  have  any  intention  of  asserting,  that  excel- 
lent and  estimable  individuals  are  not  to  be 
found  amongst  the  Andalusians ;  it  was 
amongst  them  that  1  myself  discovered  one, 
whom  I  have  no  hesitation  in  asserting  to  be 
the  most  extraordinary  character  that  has  ever 
come  within  the  sphere  of  my  knowledge;  but 
this  was  no  scion  of  a  noble  or  knightly  house, 
"  no  wearer  of  soft  clothing,"  no  sleek  highly 
perfumed  personage,  none  of  the  romanticos 
who  walk  in  languishing  attitudes  about  the 
streets  of  Seville,  with  longblack  hair  hanging 
upon  their  shoulders  in  luxuriant  curls ;  but 
one  of  those  whom  the  proud  and  unfeeling 
style  the  dregs  of  the  populace,  a  haggard, 
houseless,  penniless  man,  in  rags  and  tatters  : 
1  allude  to  Manuel,  the — what  shall  I  call 
him  ■? — seller  of  lottery  tickets,  driver  of  death 
carts,  or  poet  laureate  in  gipsy  songs  ?  I 
wonder  whether  thou  art  still  living,  my  friend 
Manuel ;  thou  gentleman  of  Nature's  forming 
— honest,  pure-minded,  humble,  yet  dignified 
being  !  Art  thou  still  wandering  through  the 
courts  of  beautiful  Safacoro,  or  on  the  banks 
of  the  Len  Baro,  thine  eyes  fixed  in  vacancy, 
and  thy  mind  striving  to  recall  some  half-for- 
gotten couplet  of  Luis  Lobo ;  or  art  thou  gone 
to  thy  long  rest,  out  beyond  the  Xerez  gate 
within  the  wall  of  the  Campo  Santo,  to  which 
in  times  of  pest  and  sickness  thou  wast  wont 
to  carry  so  many,  fiipsy  and  Gentile,  in  thy 
cart  of  the  tinkling  bell  ?  Oft.  in  the  reunions 
of  the  lettered  and  learned  in  this  land  of  uni- 
versal literature,  when  weary  of  the  display  of 
pedantry  and  egotism,  have  I  recurred  with 
yearning  to  our  gipsy  recitations  at  the  old 
house  in  the  Pila  Seca.  Oft,  when  sickened 
by  the  high-wrouaht  professions  of  those  who 
bear  the  cross  in  gilded  chariots,  have  1  thought 
on  thee,  thy  calm  faith,  without  pretence, — 
thy  patience  in  poverty,  and  fortitude  in  afflic- 
tion ;  and  as  oft,  when  thinking  of  my  speed- 
ily approaching  end,  have  I  wished  that  I 


might  meet  thee  once  again,  and  that  thy 
hands  might  help  to  hear  me  to  "  the  dead 
man's  acre"  yonder  on  the  sunny  plain,  0 
Manuel  ! 

My  principal  visiter  was  Dionysius,  who 
seldom  failed  to  make  his  appearance  every 
forenoon  :  the  poor  fellow  came  for  sympathy 
and  conversation.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a 
situation  more  forlorn  and  isolated  than  that  of 
this  man, — a  Greek  at  Seville,  with  scarcely 
a  single  acquaintance,  and  depending  for  sub- 
sistence on  the  miserable  pittnnce  to  be  deriv- 
ed from  selling  a  few  books,  for  the  most  part 
hawked  about  from  door  to  door.  "  What 
could  have  first  induced  you  to  commence 
bookselling  in  Seville  ]"  said  I  to  him,  as  he 
arrived  one  sultry  day,  heated  and  fatigued, 
with  a  small  bundle  of  books  secured  together 
by  a  leather  strap. 

Dionysius. — For  want  of  a  better  employ- 
ment, Kyrie,  I  have  adopted  this  most  unpro- 
fitable and  despised  one.  Oft  have  I  regretted 
not  having  been  bred  up  as  a  shoemaker,  or 
having  learnt  in  my  youth  some  other  useful 
handicraft,  for  gladly  would  I  I'oUow  it  now. 
Such,  at  least,  would  procure  me  the  respect 
of  my  fellow-creatures,  inasmuch  as  they 
needed  me ;  but  now  all  avoid  me  and  look 
upon  me  with  contempt ;  for  what  have  I  to 
offer  in  this  place  that  any  one  cares  about  1 
Books  in  Seville  !  where  no  one  reads,  or  at 
least  nothing  but  new  romances,  translated 
from  the  French,  and  obscenity.  Books ! 
Would  I  were  a  gipsy  and  could  trim  don- 
keys, for  then  I  were  at  least  independent  and 
were  more  respected  than  I  am  at  present. 

Myself. — Of  what  kind  of  books  does  your 
stock  in  trade  consist  ? 

Dionysius Of  those  not  likely  to  suit  the 

Seville  market,  Kyrie;  books  of  sterling  and 
intrinsic  value ;  many  of  them  in  ancient 
Greek,  which  I  picked  up  upon  the  dissolution 
of  the  convents,  when  the  contents  of  the 
libraries  were  hurled  into  the  court-yards,  and 
there  sold  by  the  arrobe.  I  thought  at  first 
that  I  was  about  to  make  a  fortune,  and  in  fact 
my  books  would  be  so  in  any  other  place ;  but 
here  I  have  offered  an  Elzevir  for  half  a  dollar 
in  vain,  I  should  starve  were  it  not  for  the 
strangers,  who  occasionally  purchase  of  me. 

i/yse//".— Seville  is  a  large  cathedral  city, 
abounding  with  priests  and  canons;  surely 
some  of  these  occasionally  visit  you  to  make 
purchases  of  classic  works,  and  books  con- 
nected with  ecclesiastical  literature. 

Dionysius.— U  you  think  so,  Kyrie,  you 
know  little  respecting  the  ecclesiastics  of  Se- 
ville. I  am  acquainted  with  many  of  them 
and  can  assure  you  that  a  tribe  of  beings  can 
scarcely  be  found  with  a  more  confirmed  aver- 
sion to  intellectual  pursuits  of  every  kind. 
Their  reading  is  confined  to  newspapers,  which 
they  take  up^'in  the  hope  of  seemg  that  their 
friend  Don  Carlos  is  at  length  reinstated  at 
Madrid ;  but  they  prefer  their  chocolate  and 
biscuits,  and  nap  before  dinner,  to  the  wisdom 
of  Plato  and  the  eloquence  of  Tully.  They 
occasionally  visit  me,  but  it  is  only  to  pass 
away  a  heavy  hour  in  chattering  nonsense. 


2d0 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


Once  on  a  time,  three  of  them  came,  in  the 
hope  of  making  me  a  convert  to  their  Latin 
superstition.  "  Signior  Donatio,"  said  they, 
(for  so  they  called  me,)  "  how  is  it  that  an  un- 
prejudiced person  like  yourself,  a  man  really 
with  some  pretension  to  knowledge,  can  still 
cling  to  this  absurd  religion  of  yours  1  Surely, 
after  having  resided  so  many  years  in  a  civil- 
ized country  like  this  of  Spain,  it  is  high  time 
to  abandon  your  half-pagan  form  of  worship, 
and  to  enter  the  bosom  of  the  church  :  now 
pray  be  advised,  and  you  shall  be  none  the 
worse  for  it."  "  Thank  you,  gentlemen,"  I 
replied,  "  for  the  interest  you  take  in  my  wel- 
fare ;  I  am  always  open  to  conviction  ;  let  us 
proceed  to  discuss  the  subject.  What  are  the 
points  of  my  religion  which  do  not  meet  your 
approbation !  You  are  of  course  well  ac- 
quainted with  all  our  dogmas  and  ceremonies." 
"  We  know  nothing  about  your  religion,  Sig- 
nior  Dognatio,  save  that  it  is  a  very  absurd 
one,  and  therefore  it  is  incumbent  upon  you, 
as  an  unprejudiced  and  well  informed  man,  to 
renounce  it."  "  But,  gentlemen,  if  you  know 
nothing  of  my  religion,  why  call  it  absurd? 
Surely  it  is  not  the  part  of  unprejudiced  peo- 
ple to  disparage  that  of  which  they  are  igno- 
rant." "  But,  Signior  Donatio,  it  is  not  the 
Catholic  Apostolic  Roman  religion,  is  it?" 
♦'  It  may  be,  gentlemen,  for  what  you  appear 
to  know  of  it ;  for  your  information,  however, 
I  will  tell  you  that  it  is  not;  it  is  the  Greek 
Apostolic  religion.  I  do  not  call  it  catholic, 
for  it  is  absurd  to  call  that  catholic  which  is 
not  universally  acknowledged."  "  But,  Sig- 
nior  Donatia,  does  not  the  matter  speak  for 
itself?  What  can  a  set  of  ignorant  Greek 
barbarians  know  about  religion  ?  If  they  set 
aside  the  authority  of  Rome,  whence  should 
they  denve  any  rational  ideas  of  religion? 
whence  should  they  get  the  Gospel  ?"  "  The 
Gospel,  gentlemen  ?  Allow  me  to  show  you 
a  book,  here  it  is,  what  is  your  opinion  of  it?" 
"Signior  Donatio,  what  does  this  mean? 
What  characters  of  the  devil  are  these,  are 
they  Moorish?  Who  is  able  to  understand 
them?"  "I  suppose  your  worships,  being 
Roman  priests,  know  something  of  Latin ;  ijf 
you  inspect  the  title-page  to  the  bottom,  you 
will  find,  in  the  language  of  your  own  church, 
"  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,"  in  the  original  Greek,  of  which  your 
Vulgate  is  merely  a  translation,  and  not  a  very 
correct  one.  With  respect  to  the  barbarism 
of  Greece,  it  appears  that  you  are  not  aware 
that  Athens  was  a  city,  and  a  famed  one,  cen- 
turies before  the  first  mud  cabin  of  Rome  was 
thatched,  and  the  gipsy  vagabonds  who  first 
peopled  it,  had  escaped  from  the  hands  of 
justice."  "  Signior  Donatio,  you  are  an  igno- 
rant heretic  and  insolent  withal,  what  noTisense 
is  this!...."  But  I  will  not  weary  your 
ears,  Kyri«,  with  all  the  absurdities  which  the 
poor  Latin  Papas  poured  into  mine ;  the  bur- 
den of  their  song  being  invariably,  what  mm- 
sense  is  this !  which  was  certainly  applicable 
enough  to  what  they  themselves  were  saying. 
Seeing,  however,  that  I  was  more  than  their 
match  in  religious  controversy,  they  fell  foul 


of  my  country.  "  Spain  is  a  better  country 
than  Greece,"  said  one  ;  "  You  never  tasted 
bread  before  j^ou  came  to  Spain,"  cried  an- 
other. "  And  little  enough  since,"  thought  I 
"  You  never  before  saw  such  a  city  as  Se 
ville,"  said  the  third.  But  then  ensued  the 
best  part  of  the  comedy  :  my  visitors  chanced 
to  be  natives  of  three  different  places ;  one 
was  of  Seville,  another  of  Utrera,  and  the 
third  of  Miguel  Turra,  a  miserable  village  in 
La  Mancha.  At  the  mention  of  Seville,  the 
other  two  instantly  began  to  sing  the  praises 
of  their  respective  places  of  birth ;  this  brought 
on  comparisons,  and  a  violent  dispute  was  the 
consequence.  Much  abuse  passed  between 
them,  whilst  I  stood  by,  shrugged  my  shoul- 
ders, and  said  tipotas.  At  last,  as  they  were 
leaving  the  house,  1  said,  "  Who  would  have 
thouifht,  gentlemen,  that  the  polemics  of  the 
Greek  and  Latin  churches  were  so  closely  con- 
nected with  the  comparative  merits  of  Seville, 
Utrera,  and  Miguel  Turra?" 

Myself. — Is  the  spirit  of  proselytism  very 
prevalent  here  ?  Of  what  description  of  peo- 
ple do  their  converts  generally  consist  ? 

Dionysius. — I  will  tell  you,  Kyrie :  the 
generality  of  their  converts  consist  of  German 
or  FJnglish  Protestant  adventurers,  who  come 
here  to  settle,  and  in  course  of  time  take  to 
themselves  wives  from  amongst  the  Spanish, 
prior  to  which  it  is  necessarj'  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  Latin  church.  A  few  are  vagabond 
.lews,  from  Gibraltar  or  Tangier,  who  have 
fled  for  their  crimes  into  Spain,  and  who  re- 
nounce their  faith  to  escape  from  starvation. 
These  gentry,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  pay, 
on  which  account  the  priests  procure  for  them 
padrinos  or  godfathers;  these  generally  con- 
sist of  rich  devotees  over  whom  the  priests 
have  influence,  and  who  esteem  it  a  glory  and 
a  meritorious  act  to  assist  in  bringing  back 
lost  souls  to  the  church.  The  neophyte  allows 
himself  to  be  convinced  on  the  promise  of  a 
peseta  a  day,  which  is  generally  paid  by  the 
godfathers  for  the  first  year,  but  seldom  for  a 
longer  period .  About  forty  years  ago,  how- 
ever, they  made  a  somewhat  notable  convert. 
A  civil  war  arose  in  Morocco,  caused  by  the 
separate  pretensions  of  two  brothers  to  the 
throne.  One  of  these  being  worsted,  fled 
over  to  Spain,  imploring  the  protection  of 
Charles  the  Fourth.  He  soon  became  an 
object  of  particular  attention  to  the  priests, 
who  were  not  slow  in  converting  him,  and 
induced  Charles  to  settle  upon  him  a  pension 
of  a  dollar  per  day.  He  died  some  few  years 
since  in  Seville,  a  despised  vagabond.  He 
left  behind  him  a' son,  who  is  at  present  a  no- 
tary, and  outwardly  very  devout,  but  a  greater 
hypocrite  and  picaroon  does  not  exist.  1  would 
you  could  see  his  face,  Kyrie,  it  is  that  of  Judas 
Iscariot.  I  think  you  would  say  so,  for  you 
are  a  physiognomist.  He  lives  next  door  to 
me,  and  notwithstanding  his  pretensions  to 
religion,  is  permitted  to  remain  in  a  state  of 
great  poverty. 

And  now  nothing  farther  for  the  present 
about  Dionysius. 

About  the  middle  of  July  our  work  was 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


201 


<U)ncluded  at  Seville,  and  for  the  very  efTicient 
reason,  that  I  had  no  more  Testaments  to  sell ; 
somewhat  more  than  two  hundred  having  been 
circulated  since  my  arrival. 

About  ten  days  before  the  time  of  which  I 
am  speaking,  I  was  visited  by  various  algua- 
zils,  accompanied  by  a  kind  of  headborough, 
who  made  a  small  seizure  of  Testaments  and 
Gipsy  Gospels,  which  happened  to  be  lying 
about.  This  visit  was  far  from  being  disa- 
greeable to  me,  as  I  considered  it  to  be  a  very 
satisfactory  proof  of  the  effect  of  our  exertions 
in  Seville.  I  cannot  help  here  relating  an 
anecdote  : — A  day  or  two  subsequent,  having 
occasion  to  call  at  the  house  of  the  headbo- 
rough respecting  my  passport,  I  found  him 
lying  on  his  bed,  for  it  was  the  hour  of  siesta, 
reading  intently  one  of  the  Testaments  which 
he  had  taken  away,  all  of  which,  if  he  had 
obeyed  his  orders,  would  have  been  deposited 
in  the  office  of  the  civil  governor.  So  intently, 
indeed,  was  he  engaged  in  reading,  that  he  did 
not  at  first  observe  my  entrance;  when  he  did, 
however,  he  sprang  up  in  great  confusion,  and 
locked  the  book  up  in  his  cabinet,  whereupon 
I  smiled,  and  told  him  to  be  undtr  no  alarm,  as 
I  was  glad  to  see  him  so  usefully  employed. 
Recovering  himself,  he  said  that  he  had  read 
the  book  nearly  through,  and  that  he  had  found  | 


no  harm  in  it,  but  on  the  contrary,  every  thing 
to  praise.  Adding,  he  believed  that  the  clergy 
must  be  possessed  with  devils  {endemoniados) 
to  persecute  it  in  the  manner  they  did. 

It  was  Sunday  when  the  seizure  was  made, 
and  1  happened  to  be  reading  the  Liturgy. 
One  of  the  alguazils,  when  yoing  away,  made 
an  observation  respecting  the  very  different 
manner  in  which  the  Protestants  and  ("atho- 
lics  keep  the  sabbath  ;  the  former  being  in 
tlieir  own  houses  reading  good  books,  and  the 
latter  abroad  in  the  bull-ring,  seeing  the  wild 
bulls  tear  out  the  gory  bowels  of  the  poor 
horses.  The  bull  amphitheatre  at  Seville  is 
the  finest  in  all  Spain,  and  is  invariably  on  a 
Sunday  (the  only  day  on  wliich  it  is  open) 
filled  with  applauding  multitudes. 

I  now  made  preparations  for  leaving  Seville 
for  a  few  months,  my  destination  being  the 
coast  of  Barbary.  Antonio,  who  did  not  wish 
to  leave  Spain,  in  which  were  his  wife  and 
children,  returned  to  Madrid,  rejoicing  in  a 
handsome  gratuity  with  which  I  presented 
him.  As  it  was  my  intention  to  return  to  Se- 
ville, I  left  my  house  and  horses  in  the  charge 
of  a  friend  in  whom  I  could  confide,  and  de- 
parted. 

The  reasons  which  induced  me  to  visit  Bar- 
bary  will  be  seen  in  tlie  following  chapters. 


CHAPTER  L. 

Nijrht  on  the  Guadalquivir — Gospel  Light — Bonanza — Strand  of  San  Lucar — Andalusiaii  scenery — 
History  of  a  Chest — Cosas  de  Los  Ingleses — The  two  Gipsies — The  Driver — The  Red  Night- 
cap— The  Steam-boat — Christian  Language. 


On  the  night  of  the  3 1st  of  July  I  departed 
from  Seville  upon  my  expedition,  going  on 
board  one  of  the  steamers  which  ply  on  the 
Guadalquivir  between  Seville  and  Cadiz. 

It  was  my  intention  to  stop  at  San  Lucar, 
for  the  purpose  of  recovering  the  chest  of  Tes- 
taments which  had  been  placed  in  embargo 
there,  until  such  time  as  they  could  be  remov- 
ed from  the  kingdom  of  Spain.  These  Testa- 
ments I  intended  for  distribution  amongst  the 
Christians  whom  I  hoped  to  meet  on  the 
shores  of  Barbary.  San  Lucar  is  about  fifteen 
leagues  distant  from  Seville,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  bay  of  Cadiz,  where  the  yellow  waters 
of  the  Guadalquivir  unite  with  the  brine.  The 
steamer  shot  from  the  little  quay,  or  wharf, 
at  about  half-past  nine,  and  then  arose  a  loud 
cry, — it  was  the  voices  of  those  on  board  and 
on  shore  wishing  farewell  to  their  friends. 
Amongst  the  tumult  I  thought  T  could  dis- 
tinguish the  accents  of  some  friends  of  my  own 
who  had  accompanied  me  to  the  bank,  and  I 
instantly  raised  my  own  voice  louder  than  all. 
The  night  was  very  dark,  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  as  we  passed  along  we  could  scarcely  dis- 
tinguish the  trees  which  cover  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  river  until  it  takes  its  first  turn. 
A  calmazo  had  reigned  during  the  day  at 
Seville,  by  which  is  meant,  exceedingly  sultry 
26 


weather,  unenlivened  by  the  slightest  breeze. 
The  night  likewise  was  calm  and  sultry.  As 
I  had  frequently  made  the  voyage  of  the 
Guadalquivir,  ascending  and  descending  this 
celebrated  river,  I  felt  nothing  of  that  restless- 
ness and  curiosity  which  people  experience  in 
a  strange  place,  whether  in  light  or  darkness, 
and  being  acquainted  with  none  of  the  other 
passengers,  who  were  talking  on  the  deck,  I 
thought  my  best  plan  would  be  to  retire  to  the 
cabin  and  enjoy  some  rest,  if  possible.  The 
cabin  was  solitary  and  tolerably  cool,  all  its 
windows  on  either  side  being  open  for  the  ad- 
mission of  air.  Flinging  myself  on  one  of  the 
cushioned  benches,  I  was  soon  asleep,  in 
which  state  I  continued  for  about  two  hours, 
when  I  was  aroused  by  the  furious  biting  of  a 
thousand  bugs,  which  compelled  me  to  seek 
the  deck,  where,  wrapping  myself  in  my  cloak, 
I  again  fell  asleep.  It  was  near  daybreak 
when  I  awoke ;  we  were  then  about  two 
leagiaes  from  San  Lucar.  I  arose  and  looked 
towards  the  east,  watchingthe  gradual  progress 
of  dawn,  first  the  dull  light,  then  the  streak, 
then  the  tinge,  then  the  bright  blush,  till  at 
last  the  golden  disk  of  that  orb  which  giveth 
day  emerged  from  the  abyss  of  immensity, 
and  in  a  moment  the  whole  prospect  was 
covered  with  brightness  and  glory.    The  land 


903 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


smiled,  the  waters  sparkled,  the  birds  sang,  i 
and  men  arose  from  their  resting  places  and  | 
rejoiced;  for  it  was  day,  and  the  sun  was  gone  j 
forth  on  the  errand  of  its  creator,  the  diffusion  | 
of  light  and  gladness,  and  the  dispelling  of 
darkness  and  sorrow.  ] 

! 

"Behold  the  morning  sun 
Begins  his  glorious  way  ; 
His  beams  through  all  the  nations  run, 
And  life  and  hght  convey. 

"  But  where  the  Gospel  comes, 
It  spreads  diviner  light ; 
It  calls  dead  sinners  from  their  tombs, 
And  gives  the  bhnd  their  sight." 

We  now  stopped  before  Bonanza:  this  is 
properly  speaking  the  port  of  San  Liicar,  al- 
though it  is  half  a  league  distant  from  the  latter 
place.  It  is  called  Bonanza  on  account  of  its 
good  anchorage,  and  its  being  secured  from  the 
boisterous  winds  of  the  ocean ;  its  literal  mean- 
ing is  "  fair  weather."  It  consists  of  several 
large  white  buildings,  principally  government 
store-houses,  and  is  inha!)ited  by  the  coast- 
guard,  dependents  on  the  custom-house,  and  a 
few  fishermen.  A  boat  came  off  to  receive 
those  passengers  whose  destination  was  San 
Lucar,  and  to  bring  on  board  about  half  a 
dozen  who  were  bound  for  Cadiz :  I  entered 
with  the  rest.  A  young  Spaniard  of  very 
diminutive  stature  addressed  some  questions 
to  me  in  French  as  to  what  1  thought  of  the 
scenery  and  climate  of  Andalusia.  1  replied 
that  I  admired  both,  which  evidently  gave 
him  great  pleasure.  The  boatman  now  came 
demanding  two  reals  for  conveying  me  on 
shore.  I  had  no  small  money,  and  offered  him 
a  dollar  to  change.  He  said  that  it  was  im- 
possible. 1  asked  him  what  was  to  be  done; 
whereupon  he  replied  uncivilly  that  he  knew 
not,  but  could  not  lose  time,  and  expected  to 
be  paid  instantly.  The  young  Spaniard,  ob- 
serving my  embarrassment,  took  out  two  reals 
and  paid  the  fellow.  I  thanked  him  heartily 
for  this  act  of  civility,  for  which  I  felt  really 
grateful ;  as  there  are  few  situations  more  un- 
pleasant than  to  be  in  a  crowd  in  want  of 
change,  whilst  you  are  importuned  by  people 
for  payment.  A  loose  character  once  told  me 
that  it  was  far  preferable  to  be  without  money 
at  all,  as  you  then  knew  what  course  to  take. 
1  subsequently  met  the  young  Spaniard  at 
Cadiz,  and  repaid  him  with  thanks. 

A  few  cabriolets  were  waiting  near  the 
wharf,  in  order  to  convey  us  to  San  Lucar.  I 
ascended  one,  and  we  proceeded  slowly  along 
the  Playa  or  strand.  'I'his  place  is  famous  in 
the  ancient  novels  of  Spain,  of  thatclass  called 
Picaresque,  or  those  devoted  to  the  adventures 
of  notorious  scoundrels,  the  father  of  which, 
as  also  of  all  others  of  the  same  kmd,  in  what- 
ever language,  is  Lazarillo  de  Tormes.  Cer- 
vantes himself  has  immortalized  this  strand  in 
the  most  amusing  of  his  smaller  tales.  La 
Bustre  Fregona.  In  a  word,  the  strand  of  San 
Lucar  in  ancient  times,  if  not  in  modem,  was 
a  rendezvous  for  ruffians,  contrahandistas,  and 
vagabonds  of  every  description,  who  nested 


there  in  wooden  sheds,  which  have  now 
vanished.  San  Lucar  itself  was  always  noted 
for  the  thievish  propensities  of  its  inhabitants 
— the  worst  in  all  Andalusia.  The  roouish 
innkeeper  in  Don  Quixote  perfected  his  educa- 
tion at  San  Lucar.  All  these  recollections 
crowded  into  my  mind  as  we  proceeded  along 
the  strand,  which  was  beautifully  gilded  by 
the  Andalusian  sun.  We  at  last  arrived  nearly 
opposite  to  San  Lucar,  which  stands  at  some 
disfcmce  from  the  water-side.  Here  a  lively 
spectacle  presented  itself  to  us  :  the  shore  was 
covered  with  a  multitude  of  females  either 
dressing  or  undressing  themselves,  while  (I 
speak  within  bounds)  hundreds  were  in  the 
water  sporting^  and  playing :  some  were  close 
by  the  beach,  stretched  at  their  full  lengrih  on 
the  sand  and  pebbles,  allowing  the  little  bil- 
lows to  dash  over  their  heads  and  bosoms; 
whilst  others  were  swimming  boldly  out  into 
the  firth.  There  was  a  confused  hubbub  of 
female  cries,  thin  shrieks,  and  shrill  laughter; 
couplets  likewise  were  being  sung,  on  what 
subject  it  is  easy  to  guess,  for  we  were  in  sun- 
n}'  Andalusia,  and  what  can  its  black-eyed 
daughters  think,  speak,  or  sing  of  but  amor, 
amor,  which  now  sounded  from  the  land  and 
the  waters.  Farther  on  along  the  beach  we 
perceived  likewise  a  crowd  of  men  bathing; 
we  passed  not  by  them,  but  turned  to  the  left 
up  an  alley  or  avenue  which  leads  to  San 
Lucar,  and  which  may  be  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
long.  The  view  from  hence  was  truly  magni- 
ficent; before  us  lay  the  town,  occupying  the 
side  and  top  of  a  tolerably  high  hill,  extending 
from  east  to  west.  It  appeared  to  be  of  con- 
siderable size,  and  I  was  subsequently  in- 
formed that  it  contained  at  least  twenty  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  Several  immense  edifices 
and  walls  towered  up  in  a  style  of  grandeur 
which  can  be  but  feebly  described  by  words; 
but  the  principal  object  was  an  ancient  castle 
towards  the  left.  The  houses  were  all  white, 
and  would  have  shone  brilliantly  in  the  sun 
had  it  been  higher,  but  at  this  early  hour  they 
lay  comparatively  in  shade.  The  tout  enseni' 
ble  was  very  Moorish  and  oriental,  and  indeed 
in  ancient  times  San  Lucar  was  a  celebrated 
stronghold  of  the  Moors,  and,  next  to  Almeria, 
the  most  frequented  of  their  commercial  places 
in  Spain.  Every  thing,  indeed,  in  these  parts 
of  Andalusia,  is  perfectly  oriental.  Behold 
the  heavens,  as  cloudless  and  as  brightly 
azure  as  those  of  Ind ;  the  fiery  sun  which 
tans  the  fairest  cheek  in  a  moment,  and  which 
fills  the  air  with  flickering  flame ;  and  0  re- 
mark the  scenery  and  the  vegetable  produc- 
tions. The  alley  up  which  we  were  moving 
was  planted  on  each  side  with  that  remarkable 
tree  or  plant,  for  I  know  not  which  to  call  it, 
the  giant  aloe,  which  is  called  in  Spanish, 
pita,  and  in  Moorish,  gursean.  It  rises  here 
to  a  height  almost  as  magnificent  as  on  the 
African  shore.  Need  I  say  that  the  stem, 
which  springs  up  from  the  middle  of  the  bush 
of  green  blades,  which  shoot  out  from  the  root 
on  all  sides,  is  as  high  as  a  palm-tree;  and 
need  I  say  that  those  blades,  which  are  of  an 
immense  thickness  at  the  roc-t,  are  at  the  tip 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


203 


sharper  than  the  point  of  a  spear,  and  would 
inflict  a  terrible  wound  on  any  animal  which 
might  inadvertently  rush  against  them  ] 

One  of  the  first  houses  at  San  Lucar  was 
the  posada  at  which  we  stopped.  It  confronted, 
with  some  others,  the  avenue  up  which  we  had 
come.  As  it  was  still  early,  I  betook  myself 
to  rest  for  a  few  hours,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  I  went  out  to  visit  Mr.  Phillippi,  the  Brit- 
ish vice-consul,  who  was  already  acquainted 
with  me  by  name,  as  I  had  been  recommended 
to  him  by  in  a  letter  from  a  relation  of  his  at 
Seville.  Mr.  Phillippi  was  at  home  in  his 
counting-house,  and  received  me  with  much 
kindness  and  civility.  I  told  him  the  motive 
of  my  visit  to  San  Lucar,  and  requested  his 
assistance  towards  obtaining  the  books  from 
the  custom-house,  in  order  to  transport  them 
out  of  the  country,  as  I  was  very  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  difficulties  which  every  one 
has  to  encounter  in  Spain,  who  has  any  busi- 
ness  to  transact  with  the  government  authori- 
ties. He  assured  me  that  he  should  be  most 
happy  to  assist  me,  and  accordingly  despatched 
with  me  to  the  custom-house  his  head  clerk,  a 

iierson  well  known  and  much  respected  at  San 
jucar. 

It  may  be  as  well  here  at  once  to  give  the 
history  of  these  books,  which  might  otherwise 
tend  to  embarrass  the  narrative.  They  con- 
sisted of  a  chest  of  Testaments  in  Spanish, 
and  a  small  box  of  Saint  Luke's  Gospel  in  the 
Gitano  or  language  of  the  Spanish  Gipsies.  I 
obtained  them  from  the  custom-house  at  San 
Lucar,  with  a  pass  for  that  of  Cadiz.  At 
Cadiz  I  was  occupied  two  days,  and  also  a 
person  whom  1  employed,  in  going  through  all 
the  formalities,  and  in  procuring  the  necessary 
papers.  The  expense  was  great,  as  money  was 
demanded  at  every  step  I  had  to  take,  though 
I  was  simply  complying  in  this  instance  with 
the  orders  of  the  Spanish  government  in  re- 
moving prohibited  books  from  Spain.  The 
farce  did  not  end  until  my  arrival  at  Gibraltar, 
where  I  paid  the  Spanish  consul  a  dollar  for 
certifying  on  the  back  of  the  pass,  which  I 
had  to  return  to  Cadiz,  that  the  books  were 
arrived  at  the  former  place.  It  is  true  that  he 
never  saw  the  books  nor  inquired  about  them, 
but  he  received  the  money,  for  which  he  alone 
seemed  to  be  anxious. 

Whilst  at  the  custom-house  of  San  Lucar  I 
was  asked  one  or  two  questions  respecting  the 
books  contained  in  the  chests  :  this  afforded  me 
some  opportunity  of  speaking  of  the  New 
Testament,  and  the  Bible  Society.  What  I 
said  excited  attention,  and  presently  all  the 
officers  and  dependents  of  the  house,  great  and 
small,  were  gathered  around  me,  from  the 
governor  to  the  porter.  As  it  was  necessaiy 
to  open  the  boxes  to  inspect  their  contents,  we 
all  proceeded  to  the  court-yard,  where,  holding 
a  Testament  in  my  hand,  I  recommenced  my 
discourse.  I  scarcely  know  what  I  said  ;  for 
I  was  much  agitated,  and  hunied  away  by  my 
feelings,  when  I  bethought  me  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  word  of  God  was  persecuted  in 
this  unhappy  kingdom.  My  words  evidently 
made  impression,  and   to  my  astonishment 


every  person  present  pressed  me  for  a  copy.  I 
sold  several  within  the  walls  of  the  custom- 
house. The  object,  however,  of  most  atten- 
tion was  the  gipsy  Gospel,  which  was  mi- 
nutely examined  amidst  smiles  and  exclama- 
tions of  surprise ;  an  individual  every  now  and 
then  crying,  "  Cosav  de  /r.s  Ingkses."  A  by- 
stander asked  me  whether  I  could  speak  the 
Gitano  language.  I  replied  that  I  could  not 
only  speak  it,  but  write  it,  and  instantly  made 
a  speech  of  about  five  minutes  in  the  gipsy 
tongue,  which  I  had  no  sooner  concluded  than 
all  clapped  their  hands  and  simultaneously 
shouted,  "  Cosas  de  Inglaterra,''^  "  Cosas  de  los 
Ine;leses"  I  disposed  of  several  copies  of  the 
gipsy  Gospel  likewise,  and  having  now  settled 
the  business  which  had  brought  me  to  the  cus- 
tom-house, I  saluted  my  new  friends  and  de- 
parted with  my  books. 

I  now  revisited  Mr.  Phillippi,  who,  upon 
learning  that  it  was  my  intention  to  proceed  to 
Cadiz  next  morning  by  the  steamer,  which 
would  touch  at  Bonanza  at  four  o'clock,  de- 
spatched the  chests  and  my  little  luggage  to 
the  latter  place,  where  he  likewise  advised  me 
to  sleep,  in  order  that  I  might  be  in  readiness 
to  embark  at  that  early  hour.  He  then  intro- 
duced me  to  his  family,  his  wife  an  English 
woman,  and  his  daughter  an  amiable  and  beau- 
tiful girl  of  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  whom 
I  had  previously  seen  at  Seville ;  three  or  four 
other  ladies  from  Seville  were  likewise  there 
on  a  visit,  and  for  the  purpose  of  sea-bathing. 
After  a  few  words  in  English  between  the  lady 
of  the  house  and  myself,  we  all  commenced 
chatting  in  Spanish,which  seemed  to  be  the  only 
language  understood  or  cared  for  by  the  rest  of 
the  company  ;  indeed,  who  would  be  so  unrea- 
sonable as  to  expect  Spanish  females  to  speak 
any  language  but  their  own,  which,  flexible 
and  harmonious  as  it  is,  (far  more  so  I  think 
than  any  other,)  seems  at  times  quite  inade- 
quate to  express  the  wild  sallies  of  their  luxu- 
riant imagination.  Two  hours  fled  rapidly 
away  in  discourse,  interrupted  occasionally  by 
music  and  song,  when  I  bade  farewell  to  this 
delightful  society,  and  strolled  out  to  view  tha 
town. 

It  was  now  past  noon,  and  the  heat  was  ex- 
ceedingly fierce :  I  saw  scarcely  a  living  being 
in  the  streets,  the  stones  of  which  burnt  ray 
feet  through  the  soles  of  my  boots.  I  passed 
through  the  square  of  the  Constitution,  which 
presents  nothing  particular  to  the  eye  of  the 
stranger,  and  ascended  the  hill  to  obtain  a 
nearer  view  of  the  castle.  It  is  a  strong  heavy 
edifice  of  stone,  with  round  towers,  and,  though 
deserted,  appears  to  be  still  in  a  tolerable  state 
of  preservation.  1  became  tired  of  gazing, 
and  was  retracing  my  steps,  when  I  was  ac- 
costed by  two  gipsies,  who  by  some  means  had 
heard  of  my  arrival.  We  exchanged  some  words 
in  Gitano,  but  they  appeared  to  be  very  igno- 
rant of  the  dialect,  and  utterly  unable  to  main- 
tain a  conversation  in  it.  They  were  clamorous 
for  a  gabicote,  or  book  in  the  gipsy  tongue.  I 
refused  it  them,  saying  that  they  could  turn  it 
to  no  profitable  account ;  but  finding  that  they 
could  read,  I  promised  them  each  a  Testament 


HM 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


in  Spanish.  This  offer,  however,  they  refused 
with  disdain,  saying  that  they  cared  fornothing 
written  in  the  language  of  the  Busne  or  Gen- 
tiles. They  then  persisted  in  their  demand,  to 
which  I  at  last  yielded,  being  unable  to  resist 
their  importunity ;  whereupon  they  accompa- 
nied me  to  the  inn,  and  received  what  they  so 
ardently  desired. 

In  the  evening  1  was  visited  by  Mr. 
Phillipi,  who  informed  me  that  he  had  order- 
ed a  cabriolet  to  call  for  me  at  the  inn  at 
eleven  at  night,  for  the  purpose  of  conveying 
me  to  Bonanza,  and  that  a  person  there  who 
kept  a  small  wine-house,  and  to  whom  the 
chests  and  other  things  had  been  forwarded, 
would  receive  me  for  the  night,  though  it  was 
probable  that  I  should  have  to  sleep  on  the 
floor.  We  then  walked  to  the  beach,  where 
there  were  a  great  number  of  bathers,  all  men. 
Amongst  them  were  some  good  swimmers ; 
two,  in  particular,  were  out  at  a  great  distance 
in  the  firth  of  ihe  Guadalquivir,  1  should  say 
at  least  a  mile ;  their  heads  could  just  be  des- 
cried with  the  telescope.  1  was  told  that 
they  were  friars.  1  wondered  at  what  period 
of  their  lives  they  had  acquired  their  dexterity 
at  natation.  I  hoped  it  was  not  at  a  time 
when,  according  to  their  vows,  they  should 
have  lived  for  prayer,  fasting,  and  mortification 
alone.  Swimming  is  a  noble  exercise,  but  it 
certainly  does  not  tend  to  mortify  either  the 
flesh  or  the  spirit.  As  it  was  becoming  dusk, 
we  returned  to  the  town,  when  my  friend 
bade  me  a  kind  farewell.  I  then  retired  to 
my  apartment,  and  passed  some  hours  in 
meditation. 

It  was  night,  ten  o'clock ; — eleven  o'clock, 
and  the  cabriolet  was  at  the  door.  I  got  in, 
and  we  proceeded  down  the  avenue  and  along 
the  shore,  which  was  quite  deserted.  The 
waves  sounded  mournfully ;  every  thing  seem- 
ed to  have  changed  since  the  morning.  I  even 
thought  that  the  horse's  feet  sounded  different- 
ly as  it  trotted  slowly  over  the  moist  firm 
sand.  The  driver,  however,  was  by  no  means 
mournful,  nor  inclined  to  be  silent  long :  he 
soon  commenced  asking  me  an  infinity  of 
questions  as  to  whence  I  came  and  whither  I 
was  bound.  Having  given  him  what  answers 
I  thought  most  proper,  I,  in  return,  asked  him 
whether  he  was  not  afraid  to  drive  along  that 
beach,  which  had  always  borne  so  bad  a 
character,  at  so  unseasonable  an  hour.  Where- 
upon, he  looked  around  him,  and  seeing  no 
person,  he  raised  a  shout  of  derision,  and  said 
that  a  fellow  with  his  whiskers  feared  not  all 
the  thieves  that  ever  walked  the  playa,  and 
that  no  dozen  men  in  San  Lucar  dare  to  way- 
lay  any  traveller  whom  they  knew  to  be  be- 
neath his  protection.  He  was  a  good  specimen 
of  the  Andalusian  braggart.  We  soon  saw  a 
light  or  two  shining  dimly  before  us  ;  they 
proceeded  from  a  few  barks  and  small  vessels 
Stranded  on  the  sand  close  below  Bonanza: 
amongst  them  I  distinguished  two  or  three 
dusky  figures.  We  were  now  at  our  journey's 
end,  and  stopped  before  the  door  of  the  place 
where  I  was  to  lodge  for  the  night.  The 
driver,  dismounting,  knocked  loud  and  long, 


until  the  door  was  opened  by  an  exceedingly 
stout  man  of  about  sixty  years  of  age ;  he  held 
a  dim  light  in  his  hand,  and  was  dressed  in  a 
red  nighl-cap  and  dirty  striped  shirt.  He  ad- 
mitted us,  without  a  word,  into  a  very  large 
long  room  with  a  clay  floor.  A  species  of 
counter  stood  on  one  side  near  the  door ;  be- 
hind it  stood  a  barrel  or  two,  and  against  tlie 
wall,  or  shelves,  many  bottles  of  various 
sizes.  The  smell  of  liquors  and  wine  was 
very  powerful.  I  settled  with  the  driver  and 
gave  him  a  gratuity,  whereupon  he  asked  me 
for  something  to  drink  to  my  safe  journiey.  I 
told  him  he  could  call  for  whatever  lie  pleased  ; 
whereupon  he  demanded  a  glass  of  aguar- 
diente, which  the  master  of  the  house,  who 
had  stationed  himself  behind  the  counter, 
handed  him  without  saying  a  word.  The 
fellow  drank  it  oflf  at  once,  but  made  a  srreat 
many  wry  faces  after  having  swallowed  it, 
and,  coughing,  said  that  he  made  no  doubt  it 
was  good  liquor,  as  it  burnt  his  throat  terribly. 
He  then  embraced  ine,  went  out,  mounted  his 
cabriolet,  and  drove  off. 

The  old  man  with  the  red  night-cap  now 
moved  slowly  to  the  door,  which  he  bolted 
and  otherwise  secured ;  he  then  drew  forward 
two  benches,  which  he  placed  together,  and 
pointed  to  them  as  if  to  intimate  to  me  that 
there  was  my  bed  :  he  then  blew  out  the  can- 
dle and  retired  deepei  into  the  apartment, 
where  I  heard  him  lay  himself  down  sighing 
and  snorting.  There  was  now  no  farther  light 
than  what  proceeded  from  a  small  earthen 
pan  on  the  floor,  filled  with  water  and  oil,  on 
which  floated  a  small  piece  of  (;ard  with  a 
lighted  wick  in  the  middle,  which  simple  spe- 
cies of  lamp  is  called  "  mariposa."  I  now 
laid  my  carpet  bag  on  the  bench  as  a  pillow, 
and  flung  myself  down.  I  should  have  been 
asleep  instantly,  but  he  of  the  red  night-cap 
now  commenced  snoring  awfully,  which 
brought  to  my  mind  that  I  had  not  yet  com- 
mended myself  to  my  friend  and  Redeemer :  I 
therefore  prayed,  and  then  sank  to  repose. 

I  was  awakened  more  than  once  during  the 
night  by  cats,  and  I  believe  rats,  leaping  upon 
my  body.  At  the  last  of  these  interruptions  I 
arose,  and,  approaching  the  mariposa,  looked 
at  my  watch  ;  it  was  half  past  three  o'clock, 
opened  the  door  and  looked  out ;  whereupon 
some  fishermen  entered,  clamouring  for  their 
morning  draught ;  the  old  man  was  soon  on 
his  feet  serving  them.  One  of  the  men  said  to 
me  that,  if  I  was  going  by  the  steamer,  I  had 
better  order  my  things  to  the  wharf  without 
delay,  as  he  had  heard  the  vessel  coming 
down  the  river.  I  despatched  my  luggage, 
and  then  demanded  of  the  red  nightcap  what 
I  owed  him.  He  replied,  "  One  real."  These 
were  the  only  two  words  which  I  heard  pro- 
ceed from  his  mouth:  he  was  certainly  addict- 
ed to  silence,  and  perhaps  to  philosophy, 
neither  of  which  are  much  practised  in  Anda- 
lusia. I  now  htirried  to  the  wharf;  the  steam- 
er was  not  yet  arrived,  but  I  heard  its  thunder 
up  the  river  every  moment  becoming  more 
distinct:  there  was  mist  and  darkness  upon 
the  face  of  the  waters,  and  I  felt  awe  as  I  list- 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


205 


ened  to  the  approach  of  the  invisible  monster 

booming  throuirh  the  stillness  of  tlie  night.    It 

came  at  last  in  sight,  plashed  its  way  forward, 

stopped, and  I  was  soon  on  board.     It  was  the 

Peninsula,  the  best  boat  on  the  Guadalquivir. 

What  a  wonderful  production  of  art  is  a 

.         steamboat;    and  yet  why  should  we  call  it 

I        Wonderful,  if  we  consider  its  history?     More 

than  five  hundred  years  have  elapsed  since  the 

idea  of  making  one  first  originated;  but  it  was 

not  until  the  close  of  the  last  century  that  the 

first,  worthy  of  the  name,  made  its  appearance 

on  a  Scottish  river. 

During  this  long  period  of  time,  acute  minds 
and  skilful  hands  were  occasionally  busied  in 
attempting  to  remove  those  imperfections  in 
I  the  machinery,  which  alone  prevented  a  vessel 
being  made  capable  of  propelling  itself  against 
wind  and  tide.  All  these  attempts  were  suc- 
cessively abandoned  in  despair,  yet  scarcely 
one  was  made  which  was  perfectly  fruitless  ; 
each  inventor  leaving  behind  him  some  monu- 
ment of  his  labour,  of  which  those  who  suc- 
ceeded him  took  advantage,  until  at  last  a 
fortunate  thought  or  two,  and  a  few  more  per- 
fect arrangements,  were  all  that  were  wanting. 
The  time  arrived,  and  now,  at  length,  the  very 
Atlantic  is  crossed  by  haughty  steamers. 
Much  has  been  said  of  the  utility  of  steam  in 
spreading  abroad  civilization,  and  1  think  justly. 
When  the  first  steam  vessels  were  seen  on  the 
Guadalquivir,  about  ten  years  ago,  the  Sevil- 
lians  ran  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  crying 
"  sorcery,  sorcery,"  which  idea  was  not  a  lit- 
tle favoured  by  the  speculation  being  an  Eng- 
lish one,  and  the  boats,  which  were  English 
built,  being  provided  with  English  engineers, 
as,  indeed,  they  still  are ;  no  Spaniard  having 


been  found  capable  of  understanding  the  ma- 
chinery. They  soon,  however,  became  ac- 
customed  to  them,  and  the  boats  are  in  general 
crowded  with  passengers.  Fanatic  and  vain 
as  the  Sevillians  still  are,  and  bigoted  as  they 
remain  to  their  own  customs,  they  know  that 
good,  in  one  instance  at  least,  can  proceed  from 
a  foreign  land,  and  that  land  a  land  of  heretics; 
inveterate  prejudice  has  been  shaken,  and  we 
will  hope  that  this  is  the  dawn  of  their  civili- 
zation. 

Whilst  passing  over  the  bay  of  Cadiz,  I 
was  reclining  on  one  of  the  benches  on  the 
deck,  when  the  captain  walked  by  in  company 
with  another  man ;  they  stopped  a  short  dis- 
tance from  me,  and  I  heard  the  captain  ask  the 
other,  in  a  low  voice,  how  many  languages  he, 
spoke;  he  replied  "only  one."  "That  one," 
said  the  captain,  "  is  of  course  the  Christian ; 
by  which  name  the  Spaniards  style  their  own 
language  in  contradistinction  to  all  others. 
"That  fellow,"  continued  the  captain,  "who 
is  lying  on  the  deck,  can  speak  Christian  too 
when  it  serves  his  purpose,  but  he  speaks 
others,  which  are  by  no  means  Christian  :  he 
can  talk  English,  and  I  myself  have  heard 
him  chatter  in  Gitano  with  the  gipsies  of  Tri- 
ana;  he  is  now  going  amongst  the  Moors,  and 
when  he  arrives  in  their  country,  you  will  hear 
him,  should  you  be  there,  converse  as  fluently 
in  their  gibberish  as  in  Christiano,  nay,  better, 
for  he  is  no  Christian  himself.  He  has  been 
several  times  on  board  my  vessel  already,  but 
I  do  not  like  him,  as  I  consider  that  he  carries 
something  about  with  him  which  is  not  good." 

This  worth)'  person,  on  my  coming  aboard 
the  boat,  had  shaken  me  by  the  hand  and  ex- 
pressed his  joy  at  seeing  me  again. 


9D6 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

Cadiz — The  Fortifications — The  Consul-General — Characteristic  Anecdote — Catalan  Steamer — 
Trafalgar — Alonzo  Guzman — Gibil  Muza — Orestes  Frigate — The  Hostile  Lion — Works  of  the 
Creator — Lizard  of  the  Rock — The  Concourse — Queen  of  the  Waters — Broken  Prayer. 


Cadiz  stands,  as  is  well  known,  upon  a 
long  narrow  neck  of  land  stretching  out  into 
the  ocean,  from  whose  bosom  the  town 
appears  to  rise,  the  salt  waters  laving  its 
walls  on  all  sides  save  the  east,  where  a 
sandy  isthmus  connects  it  with  the  coast  of 
Spain.  The  town,  as  it  exists  at  the  present 
day,  is  of  modern  construction,  and  very 
unlike  any  other  town  which  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Peninsula,  being  built  with  great 
regularity  and  symmetry.  The  streets  are 
numerous,  and  intersect  each  other,  for  the 
most  part,  at  right  angles.  They  are  very 
narrow  in  comparison  to  the  height  of  the 
houses,  so  that  they  are  almost  impervious 
to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  except  when  at  its 
midday  altitude.  The  principal  street,  how- 
ever, is  an  exception,  it  being  of  some  width. 
This  street,  in  which  stands  the  Bolsa  or  Ex- 
change, and  which  contains  the  houses  of 
the  chief  merchants  and  nobility,  is  the 
grand  resort  of  loungers  as  well  as  men  of 
business  during  the  early  part  of  the  day, 
and  in  that  respect  resembles  the  Puerta  del 
Sol  at  Madrid.  It  is  connected  with  the 
great  square,  which,  though  not  of  very 
considerable  extent,  has  many  pretensions 
to  magnificence,  it  being  surrounded  with 
large  imposing  houses,  and  planted  with  fine 
trees,  with  marble  seats  below  them  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  public.  There  are 
fewpublicedificesworthy  of  much  attention  : 
the  chief  church,  indeed,  might  be  considered 
a  fine  monument  of  labour  in  some  other 
countries,  but  in  Spain,  the  land  of  noble 
and  gigantic  cathedrals,  it  can  be  styled  no- 
thing more  than  a  decent  place  of  worship ; 
It  is  still  in  an  unfinished  state.  There  is 
a  public  walk  or  alameda  on  the  northern 
ramparts,  which  is  generally  thronged  in 
summer  evenings:  the  green  of  its  trees, 
when  viewed  from  the  bay,  affords  an 
agreeable  relief  to  the  eye,  dazzled  with  the 
glare  of  the  white  buildings,  for  Cadiz  is 
also  a  bright  city.  It  was  once  the  wealthi- 
est place  in  all  Spain,  but  its  prosperity  has 
of  late  years  sadly  diminished,  and  its  inha- 
bitants are  continually  lamenting  its  ruined 
trade ;  on  which  account  many  are  daily 
abandoning  it  for  Seville,  where  living  at  least 
is  cheaper.  There  is  still,  however,  much 
life  and  bustle  in  the  streets,  which  are  adorned 
with  many  splendid  shops,  several  of  which 
are  in  the  style  of  Paris  and  London.  The 
present  population  is  said  to  amount  to  eighty 
thousand  souls. 

It  is  not  without  reason  that  Cadiz  has  been 
called  a  strong  town  :  the  fortifications  on  the 
land  side,  which  were  partly  the  work  of  the 


'  French  during  the  sway  of  Napoleon,  are  per- 
fectly admirable,  and  seem  impregnable  :  to- 
wards the  sea  it  is  defended  as  much  by  na- 
ture as  by  art,  water  and  sunken  rocks  being 
no  contemptible  bulwarks.  Tlie  defences  of 
the  town,  however,  except  the  landward  ones, 
afford  melancholy  proofs  of  Spanish  apathy 
and  neglect,  even  when  allowance  is  made  for 
the  present  peculiarly  unhappy  circumstances 
of  the  country.  Scarcely  a  gun,  except  a  few 
dismounted  ones,  is  to  be  seen  on  the  fortifica- 
tions, which  are  rapidly  falling  to  decay,  so 
that  this  insulated  stronghold  is  at  present  al- 
most at  the  mercy  of  any  foreign  nation  which, 
upon  any  pretence,  or  none  at  all,  should  seek 
to  tear  it  from  the  grasp  of  its  present  legiti- 
mate possessors,  and  convert  it  into  a  foreign 
colony. 

A  few  hours  after  my  arrival,  I  waited  upon 
Mr.  B.,  the  British  consul-general  at  Cadiz. 
His  house,  which  is  the  corner  one  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  alameda,  commands  a  noble  pros- 
pect of  the  bay,  and  is  very  large  and  mag- 
nificent. I  had  of  course  long  been  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  B.  by  reputation  ;  I  knew 
that  for  several  years  he  had  filled,  with 
advantage  to  his  native  country  and  with  ho- 
nour to  himself,  the  distinguished  and  highly 
responsible  situation  which  he  holds  in  Spain. 
I  knew,  likewise,  that  he  was  a  good  and 
pious  Christian,  and,  moreover,  the  firm  and 
enlightened  friend  of  the  Bible  Society.  Of 
all  this  I  was  aware,  but  1  had  never  yet  en- 
joyed the  advantage  of  being  personally  ac- 
quainted with  him.  I  saw  him  now  for  the 
first  time,  and  was  much  struck  with  his  ap- 
pearance. He  is  a  tall,  athletic,  finely  built 
man,  seemingly  about  forty-five  or  fifty ;  there 
is  much  dignity  in  his  countenance,  which  is, 
however  softened  by  an  expression  of  good 
humour  truly  engaging.  His  manner  is  frank 
and  affable  in  the  extreme,  I  am  not  going 
to  enter  into  minute  details  of  our  interview, 
which  was  to  me  a  very  interesting  one.  He 
knew  already  the  leading  parts  of  my  history 
since  my  arrival  in  Spain,  and  made  several 
comments  upon  it,  which  displayed  his  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  situation  of  the  coun- 
try as  regards  ecclesiastical  matters,  and  the 
state  of  opinion  respecting  religious  innova- 
tion. 

I  was  pleased  to  find  that  his  ideas  in  many 
points  accorded  with  my  own,  and  we  were 
both  decidedly  of  opinion  that,  notwithstand- 
ing the  great  persecution  and  outcry  which 
had  lately  been  raised  against  the  gospel,  the 
battle  was  by  no  means  lost,  and  that  the 
holy  cause  might  yet  triumph  in  Spain,  if 
zeal  united  with   discretion  and   Christian 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


207 


hnmility  were  displayed  by  those  called  upon 

to  uphold  it. 

Duringr  the  greater  part  of  this  and  the  fol- 
lowinor  day,  I  was  much  occupied  at  the  cus- 
tom-house, endeavouring  to  obtain  the  docu- 
ments necessary  for  the  exportation  of  the 
"restaments.  On  the  afternoon  of  Saturday, 
I  dined  with  Mr.  B.  and  his  family,  an  in- 
terestinorrrroup, — his  lady,  his  beautiful  daugh- 
ters, and  his  son,  a  fine  intelliffent  young  man. 
I^arly  the  next  morning,  a  steamer,  tiie  Ba- 
Jear,  was  to  quit  Cadiz  for  Marseilles,  touch- 
ing on  the  way  at  Algeziras,  Gibraltar,  and 
various  other  ports  of  Spain.  I  had  engaged 
my  passage  on  hoard  her  as  far  as  Gibraltar, 
haviutr  nothing  farther  to  detain  me  at  Cadiz  ; 
my  business  with  the  custom-house  having 
been  brought  at  last  to  a  termination,  though 
I  believe  1  should  never  have  got  through  it 
but  for  the  kind  assistance  of  Mr.  B.  I  quit- 
ted this  excellent  man  and  my  other  charming 
friends  at  a  late  hour  with  regret.  I  believe 
that  I  carried  with  me  their  very  best  wishes  ; 
and,  in  whatever  part  of  the  world  I,  a  poor 
wanderer  in  the  Gospel's  cause,  may  chance 
to  be,  I  shall  not  unfreqnently  offer  up  sincere 
prayers  for  their  happiness  and  well-being. 

Before  taking  leave  of  Cadiz,  I  shall  relate 
an  anecdote  of  the  British  consul,  characteris- 
tic of  him  and  the  happy  manner  in  whirh  he 
contrives  to  execute  the  most  disagreeable 
duties  of  his  situation.  I  was  in  conversation 
witii  him  in  a  parlour  of  his  house,  when  we 
were  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  two  very 
unexpected  visitors  :  they  were  the  captain  of 
a  Liverpool  merchant  vessel  and  one  of  the 
crew.  The  latter  was  a  rough  sailor,  a 
Welshman,  who  could  only  express  himself 
in  very  imperfect  English.  They  looked  un- 
utterable dislike  and  defiance  at  each  other. 
It  appeared  that  the  latter  had  refused  to 
work,  and  insisted  on  leaving  the  ship,  and 
his  master  had  in  consequence  brought  him 
before  the  consul,  in  orderthat,  if  he  persisted, 
the  consequences  might  he  detailed  to  him, 
which  would  be  the  forfeiture  of  his  wages 
and  clothes.  This  was  done;  but  the  fellow 
became  more  and  more  dogged,  refusing  ever 
to  tread  the  same  deck  again  with  his  captain, 
who,  he  said,  had  called  him  "  Greek,  lazy 
lubberly  Greek,"  which  he  would  not  bear. 
The  word  Greek  rankled  in  the  sailor's  mind, 
and  stung  him  to  the  very  core.  Mr.  B.,who 
seemed  to  he  perfectly  acquainted  with  the 
character  of  Welshmen  in  general,  who  are 
proverbially  obstinate  when  opposition  is 
offered  to  tliem,  and  who  saw  at  once  that  the 
dispute  had  arisen  on  foolish  and  trivial 
grounds,  now  told  the  man,  with  a  smile,  that  he 
would  inform  him  of  a  way  by  which  he  might 
gain  the  weather-gage  of  every  one  of  them, 
consul  and  captain  and  all,  and  secure  his 
wages  and  clothes;  which  was  by  merely 
going  on  board  a  brig  of  war  of  her  Majesty, 
which  was  then  lying  in  the  bay.  The  fellow 
said  he  was  aware  of  this,  and  intended  to  do 
so.  His  grim  features,  however,  instantly 
relaxed  in  some  degree,  and  he  looked  more 
humanely  upon  his  captain.     Mr.  B.  then, 


addressing  himself  to  the  latter,  made  some 
observations  on  the  impropriety  of  using  the 
word  Greek  to  a  British  sailor;  not  forgetting, 
at  the  same  time,  to  speak  of  the  absolute 
necessity  of  obedience  and  discipline  on  hoard 
every  ship.  His  words  produced  such  an 
effect,  that  in  a  very  little  time  the  sailor  held 
out  his  hand  towards  his  captain,  and  expressed 
his  willingness  to  go  on  board  with  him  and 
perform  his  duty,  adding,  that  the  captain, 
upon  the  whole,  was  the  best  man  in  the  world. 
So  they  departed  mutually  pleased  ;  the  consiil 
making  both  of  them  promise  to  attend  divine 
service  at  his  house  on  the  following  day. 

Sunday  morning  came,  and  I  was  on  board 
the  steamer  by  six  o'clock.  As  I  ascended 
the  side,  the  harsh  sound  of  the  Catalan  dialect 
assailed  my  ears.  In  fi;ct,  the  vessel  was 
Catalan  built,  and  the  captain  and  crew  were 
of  that  nation;  the  greater  part  of  the  passen- 
gers already  on  board,  or  who  subsequently 
arrived,  appeared  to  be  Catalans,  and  seemed 
to  vie  with  each  other  in  producing  disagree- 
able sounds.  A  burly  merchant,  however, 
with  a  red  face,  peaked  chin,  sharp  eyes,  and 
hooked  nose,  clearly  bore  off  the  palm  ;  he 
conversed  with  astonishing  eagerness  on 
seemingly  the  most  indifferent  subjects,  or 
rather  on  no  subject  at  all;  his  voice  would 
have  sounded  exactly  like  a  coffee-mill  but  for 
a  vile  nasal  twang:  he  poured  forth  his 
Catalan  incessantly  till  we  arrived  at  Gib- 
raltar. Such  people  are  never  sea-sick,  though 
they  frequently  produce  or  aggravate  the 
malady  in  others.  We  did  not  get  under  way 
until  past  eight  o'clock,  for  we  waited  for  the 
Governor  of  Algeziras,  and  started  instantly 
on  his  coming  on  board.  He  was  a  tall,  thin, 
rigid  figure  of  about  seventy,  with  a  long, 
grave,  wrinkled  countenance;  in  a  word,  the 
very  image  of  an  old  Spanish  grandee.  We 
stood  out  of  the  bay,  rounding  the  lofty  light- 
house, which  stands  oti  a  ledge  of  rocks,  and 
then  bent  our  course  to  the  south,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Straits.  It  was  a  glorious  morning, 
a  blue  sunny  sky  and  blue  sunny  ocean  ;  or, 
rather,  as  my  friend  Oehlenschlaeger  has  ob- 
served on  a  similar  occasion,  there  appeared 
two  skies  and  two  suns,  one  above  and  one 
below. 

Our  progress  was  rather  slow,  notwith- 
standing the  fineness  of  the  weather,  probably 
owing  to  the  tide  being  against  us.  In  about 
two  hours  we  passed  the  Castle  of  Santa 
Petra,  and  at  noon  were  in  sight  of  Trafalgar. 
The  wind  now  freshened  and  was  dead  ahead  ; 
on  which  account  we  hugged  closely  to  the 
coast,  in  order  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible 
the  strong  heavy  sea  which  was  pouring  down 
from  the  Straits.  We  passed  within  a  very 
short  distance  of  the  Cape,  a  bold  bluff  fore- 
land, but  not  of  any  considerable  height. 

It  is  impossible  for  an  Englishman  to  pass 
by  this  place — the  scene  of  the  most  cele- 
brated naval  action  on  record — without  emo- 
tion. Here  it  was  that  the  united  navies  of 
France  and  Spain  were  annihilated  by  a  far 
inferior  force ;  but  that  force  was  British,  and 
was  directed  by  one  of  the  most  remarkable 


soe 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


men  of  the  a^e,  and  perhaps  the  greatest  hero 
of  any  time.  H it ge  fragments  of  wreck  still 
frequently  emerge  from  the  watery  gulf  whose 
billows  chafe  the  rocky  sides  of  Trafalgar : 
they  are  relics  of  the  enormous  ships  which 
were  burnt  and  sunk  on  that  terrible  day,  when 
the  heroic  champion  of  Britain  concluded  his 
work  and  died.  I  never  heard  but  one  indi- 
vidual venture  to  say  a  word  in  disparagement 
of  Nelson's  glory  :  it  was  a  pert  American, 
who  observed,  that  the  British  admiral  was 
much  overrated.  "Can  that  individual  be 
overrated,"  replied  a  stranger,  "  whose  every 
thought  was  bent  on  his  country's  honour,  who 
scarcely  ever  fought  without  leaving  a  piece 
of  his  body  in  the  fray,  and  who,  not  to  speak 
of  minor  triumphs,  was  victorious  in  two  such 
actions  as  Aboukir  and  Trafalgar  ?" 

We  were  now  soon  in  sight  of  the  Moorish 
coast.  Cape  Spartel  appearing  dimly  through 
mist  and  vapour  on  our  right.  A  regular 
Levanter  had  now  come  on,  and  the  vessel 
pitched  and  tossed  to  a  very  considerable  de- 
gree. Most  of  the  passengers  were  sea-sick  ; 
the  governor,  however,  and  myself  held  out 
manfully  :  we  sat  on  a  bench  together,  and 
entered  into  conversation  respecting  the  Moors 
and  their  country.  Torquemada  himself  could 
not  have  spoken  of  both  with  more  abhorrence. 
He  informed  me  that  he  had  been  frequently 
in  several  of  the  principal  Moorish  towns  of 
the  coast,  which  he  described  as  heaps  of 
ruins :  the  Moors  themselves  he  called  Caffres 
and  wild  beasts.  He  observed  that  he  had 
never  been  even  at  Tangier,  where  the  people 
were  most  civilized,  without  experiencing 
some  insult,  so  great  was  the  abhorrence  of 
the  Moors  to  any  thing  in  the  shape  of  a 
Christian.  He  added,  however,  that  they 
treated  the  English  with  comparative  civility, 
and  that  they  had  a  saying  among  them  to  the 
effect  that  Englishman  and  Mahometan  were 
one  and  the  same :  he  then  looked  particularly 
grave  for  a  moment,  and,  crossing  himself, 
was  silent.  I  guessed  what  was  passing  in 
his  mind : 

"  From  heretic  boors, 
And  Turkish  Moors, 
Star  of  the  sea, 
Gentle  Marie, 
Deliver  me!" 

At  about  three  we  were  passing  Tarifa, 
so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  history  of 
Moors  and  Christians.  Who  has  not  heard 
of  Alonzo  Guzman  the  faithful,  who  allow- 
ed his  only  son  to  be  crucified  before  the 
walls  of  the  town  rather  than  submit  to  the 
ignominy  of  delivering  up  the  keys  to  the 
Moorish  monarch,  who,  with  a  host  which 
is  said  to  have  amounted  to  nearly  half  a 
million  of  men,  had  landed  on  the  shores  of 
Andalusia,  and  threatened  to  bring  all  Spain 
once  more  beneath  the  Moslem  yoke  ?  Cer- 
tainly if  there  be  a  land  and  a  spot  where  the 
name  of  that  good  patriot  is  not  sometimes 
mentioned  and  sung,  that  land,  that  spot  is 
modern  Spain  and  modern  Tarifa.  I  have 
heard  the  ballad  of  Alonzo  Guzman  chanted 
iQ  Danish,  by  a  hind  in  the  wilds  of  Jutland  j 


but  once  speaking  of  "  the  Faithful"  to  some 
inhabitants  of  Tarifa,  they  replied  that  they 
had  never  heard  of  Guzman  the  faithful  of 
Tarifa,  but  were  acquainted  with  Alonzo 
Guzman,  "  the  one-eyed,"  {el  iuerto,}  and 
that  he  was  one  of  the  most  villainous  ar- 
rieros  on  the  Cadiz  road. 

The  voyage  of  these  narrow  seas  can 
scarcely  fail  to  be  interesting  to  the  most 
apathetic  individual,  from  the  nature  of  the 
scenery  which  presents  itself  to  the  eye  on 
either  side.  The  coasts  are  exceedingly  high 
and  bold,  especially  that  of  Spain,  which 
seems  to  overcrow  the  Moorish;  but  oppo- 
site to  Tarifa  the  African  continent,  round- 
ing towards  the  south-west,  assumes  an  air 
of  sublimity  and  grandeur.  A  hoary  moun- 
tain is  seen  uplifting  its  summits  above  the 
clouds:  it  is  mount  Abyla,  or  as  it  is  called 
in  the  Moorish  tongue,  Gibil  Muza,  or  the 
hill  of  Muza,  from  the  circumstance  of  its 
containing  the  sepulchre  of  a  prcphetof  that 
name.  This  is  one  of  the  two  excresences 
of  nature  on  which  the  Old  World  bestowed 
the  title  of  the  Pillars  of  Hercules.  Its 
skirts  and  sides  occupy  the  Moorish  coast  for 
many  leagues  in  more  than  one  direction, 
but  the  broad  aspect  of  its  steep  and  stupen- 
dous front  is  turned  full  towards  that  part  of 
the  European  continent  where  Gibraltar  lies 
like  a  huge  monster  stretching  far  into  the 
brine.  Of  the  two  hills  or  pillars,  the  most 
remarkable,  when  viewed  from  afar,  is  the 
African  one,  Gibil  Muza.  It  is  the  tallest 
and  bulkiest,  and  is  visible  at  a  greater  dis- 
tance; but  scan  them  both  from  near,  and 
you  feel  that  all  your  wonder  is  engrossed 
by  the  European  column.  Gibil  Muza  is  an 
immense  shapeless  mass,  a  wilderness  of 
rocks,  with  here  and  there  a  few  trees  and 
shrubs  nodding  from  the  clefts  of  its  preci- 
pices ;  it  is  uninhabited,  save  by  wolves,  wild 
swine,  and  chattering  monkeys,  on  which 
last  account  it  is  called  by  the  Spaniards, 
Montana  de  las  Monas  (the  hill  of  the  ba- 
boons ;)  whilst,  on  the  contrary,  Gibraltar, 
not  to  speak  of  the  strange  city  which  covers 
part  of  it,  a  city  inhabited  by  men  of  all  na- 
tions and  tongues,  its  batteries  and  excava- 
tions, all  of  them  miracles  of  art,  is  the  most 
singular  looking  mountain  in  the  world — a 
mountain  which  can  neither  be  described  by 
pen  nor  pencil,  and  at  which  the  eye  is 
never  satiated  with  gazing. 

It  was  near  sunset,  and  we  were  crossing 
the  bay  of  Gibraltar.  We  had  stopped  at 
Algeziras,  on  the  Spanish  side,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  landing  the  old  governor  and  his 
suite,  and  delivering  and  receiving  letters. 

Algeziras  is  an  ancient  Moorish  town,  as 
the  name  denotes,  which  is  an  Arabic  word, 
and  signifies  "the  place  of  the  islands."  It 
is  situated  at  the  water's  edge,  with  a  lofty 
range  of  mountains  in  the  rear.  It  seemed 
a  sad  deserted  place,  as  far  as  I  could  judge 
at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile.  In  the  har- 
bour, however,  lay  a  Spanish  frigate  and 
1  French  war  brig.     As  we  passed  the  former. 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPA.IN. 


309 


some  of  the  Spaniards  on  board  our  steamer 
became  boastful  al  the  expense  of  the  Eng- 
lish. It  appeared  that,  a  few  weeks  before, 
an  English  vessel,  suspected  to  be  a  contra- 
band trader,  was  seen  by  this  frigate  hovering 
about  a  bay  on  the  Andalusian  coast,  in  com 
pany  with  an  English  frigate,  the  Orestes. 
The  Spaniard  dodged  them  for  some  time, 
till  one  morning  observing  that  the  Orestes 
had  disappeared,  he  hoisted  English  colours, 
and  made  a  signal  to  the  trader  to  bear  down ; 
the  latter,  deceived  by  the  British  ensign,  and 
supposing  that  the  Spaniard  was  the  friend- 
ly Orestes,  instantly  drew  near,  was  fired  at 
and  boarded,  and  proving  in  effect  to  be  a 
contraband  trader,  she  was  carried  into  port 
and  delivered  over  to  the  Spanish  authori- 
ties. In  a  few  days,  the  captain  of  the 
Orestes  hearing  of  this,  and  incensed  at  the 
unwarrantable  use  made  of  the  British  flag, 
sent  a  boat  on  board  the  frigate,  demanding 
that  the  vessel  should  be  instantly  restored, 
as,  if  she  was  not,  he  would  retake  her  by 
force ;  adding,  that  he  had  forty  cannons  on 
board.  The  captain  of  the  Spanish  frigate 
returned  for  answer,  that  the  trader  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  officers  of  the  customs,  and 
was  no  longer  at  his  disposal;  that  the  cap- 
tain of  the  Orestes,  however,  could  do  what 
he  pleased,  and  that  if  he  had  forty  guns, 
he  himself  had  forty-four:  whereupon  the 
Orestes  thought  proper  to  bear  away.  Such 
at  least  was  the  Spanish  account,  as  related 
by  the  journals.  Observing  the  Spaniards  to 
be  in  great  glee  at  the  idea  of  one  of  their 
nation  having  frightened  away  the  English- 
man, I  exclaimed,  "Gentlemen,  all  of  you 
who  suppose  that  an  English  sea  captain 
has  been  deterred  from  attacking  a  Spaniard, 
from  an  apprehension  of  a  superior  force  of 
four  guns,  remember,  if  you  please,  the  fate 
of  the  Santissima  Trinidad,  and  be  pleased 
also  not  to  forget  that  we  are  almost  within 
cannou  sound  of  Trafalgar." 

It  was  near  sunset,  I  repeat,  and  we  were 
crossing  the  bay  of  Gibraltar.  I  stood  on 
the  prow  of  the  vessel,  with  my  eyes  intently 
fixed  on  the  mountain  fortress,  which,  though 
I  had  seen  it  several  times  before,  filled  my 
mind  with  admiration  and  interest.  Viewed 
from  this  situation,  it  certainly,  if  it  resem- 
bles any  animate  object  in  nature,  has  some- 
thing of  the  appearance  of  a  terrible  couchant 
lion,  whose  stupendous  head  menaces  Spain. 
Had  I  been  dreaming,  I  should  almost  have 
concluded  it  to  be  the  genius  of  Africa,  in  the 
shape  of  its  most  puissant  monster,  who  had 
bounded  over  the  sea  from  the  clime  of  sand 
and  sun,  bent  on  the  destruction  of  the  rival 
continent,  more  especially  as  the  hue  of  its 
stony  sides,  its  crest  and  chine,  is  tawny 
even  as  that  of  the  hide  of  the  desert  king. 
A  hostile  lion  has  it  almost  invariably  proved 
to  Spain,  at  least  since  it  first  began  to  play 
a  part  in  history,  which  was  at  the  time 
when  Tarik  seized  and  fortified  it.  It  has 
for  the  most  part  been  in  the  hands  of  foreign- 
ers: first  the  swarthy  and  turbaaed  Moor 
27 


possessed  it,  and  it  is  now  tenanted  by  a  fair 
haired  race  from  a  distant  isle.  Though  a 
part  of  Spain,  it  seems  to  disavow  the  con- 
nexion, and  at  the  end  of  a  long  narrow 
sandy  isthmus,  almost  level  with  the  sea, 
raising  its  blasted  and  perpendicular  brow  to 
denounce  the  crimes  which  deform  the  his- 
tory of  that  fair  and  majestic  land. 

It  was  near  sunset,  I  say  it  for  the  third 
time,  and  we  were  crossing  the  bay  of  Gibral- 
tar. Bay!  it  seemed  no  bay,  but  an  inland 
sea,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  enchanted  bar- 
riers, so  strange,  so  wonderful  was  the  aspect 
of  its  coasts.  Before  us  lay  the  impregnable 
hill ;  on  our  right,  the  African  continent,  with, 
its  gray  Gibil  Muza,  and  the  crag  of  Ceuta,  to 
which  last  a  solitary  bark  seemed  steering 
its  way ;  behind  us  the  town  we  had  just 
quitted,  with  its  mountain  wall ;  on  our  left 
the  coast  of  Spain.  The  surface  of  the  water 
was  unruffled  by  a  wave,  and  as  we  rapidly 
glided  on,  the  strange  object  which  we  were 
approaching  became  momentarily  more  distinct 
and  visible.  There,  al  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  coveringa  small  portion  of  its  side, 
lay  the  city  with  its  ramparts  garnished  with 
black  guns  pointing  significantly  at  its  moles 
and  harbours  ;  above,  seemingly  on  every  crag 
which  could  be  made  available  for  the  purpose 
of  defence  or  destruction,  peered  batteries,  pala 
and  sepulchral-looking,  as  if  ominous  of  the 
fate  which  awaited  any  intrusive  foe  ;  whilst 
east  and  west,  towards  Africa  and  Spain,  on 
the  extreme  points,  rose  castles,  towers,  or 
atalias  which  overcrowed  the  whole,  and  all 
the  circumjacent  region,  whether  land  or  sea. 
Mighty  and  threatening  appeared  the  fortifica- 
tions, and  doubtless,  viewed  in  any  other 
situation,  would  have  alone  occupied  the 
mind  and  engrossed  its  wonder;  but  the  hill, 
the  wondrous  hill,  was  everywhere  about 
them,  beneath  them  or  above  them,  overpower- 
ing their  effect  as  a  spectacle.  Who,  when 
he  beholds  the  enormous  elephant,  with  his 
brandished  trunk,  dashing  impetuously  to  the 
war,  sees  the  castle  which  he  bears,  or  fears 
the  javelins  of  those  whom  he  carries,  how- 
ever skilful  and  warlike  they  may  be]  Never 
does  God  appear  so  great  and  powerful  as 
when  the  works  of  his  hands  stand  in  con- 
trast with  the  labours  of  man.  Survey  the 
Escurial,  it  is  a  proud  work,  but  wonder  if 
you  can  when  you  see  the  mountain  mocking 
it  behind  ;  survey  that  boast  of  Moorish  kings, 
survey  Granada  from  its  plain,  and  wonder  if 
you  can,  for  you  see  the  Alpujarra  mocking  it 
from  behind.  O  what  are  the  works  of  man 
compared  with  those  of  the  Lord  1  Even  as 
man  is  compared  with  his  Creator.  Man 
builds  pyramids,  and  God  builds  pyramids : 
the  pyramids  of  man  are  heaps  of  shingles, 
tiny  hillocks  on  a  sandy  plain;  the  pyramids 
of  the  Lord  are  Andes  and  Indian  hills.  Man 
builds  walls  and  so  does  his  master  ;  but  the 
walls  of  God  are  the  black  precipices  of  Gib- 
raltar and  Horneel,  eternal,  indestructible,  and 
not  to  he  scaled  ;  whilst  those  of  man  can  be 
climbed,  can  be  broken  by  the  wave  or  shat- 
tered by  the  lightning  or  the  powder  blast* 

82 


210 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


Would  man  display  his  power  and  gfrandeur 
to  advantaap,  let  hirn  flee  far  from  the  hills; 
for  the  hroad  pennants  of  God,  even  his  clouds, 
float  upon  the  tops  of  the  hills,  and  the  majesty 
of  God  is  most  manifest  amonof  the  hills. 
Call  Gibraltar  the  hill  of  Tarik  or  Hercules  if 
you  will,  but  gaze  upon  it  for  a  moment  and 
you  will  call  it  the  hill  of  God.  Tarik  and 
the  old  giant  may  have  built  upon  it;  but  not 
ail  the  dark  race  of  whom  Tarik  was  one,  nor 
all  the  giants  of  old  renown  of  whom  the  other 
was  one,  could  have  built  up  its  craofs  or  chisel- 
ed the  enormous  mass  to  its  present  shape. 

We  dropped  anchor  not  far  from  the  mole. 
As  we  expected  every  moment  to  hear  the 
evening  gun,  after  which  no  person  is  permit- 
ted to  enter  the  town,  I  was  in  trepidation  lest 
I  should  be  obliged  to  pass  the  night  on  board 
the  dirty  Catalan  steamer,  which,  as  I  had  no 
occasion  to  proceed  farther  in  her,  I  was  in 
great  haste  to  quit.  A  boat  now  drew  nigh, 
with  two  individuals  at  the  stern,  one  of 
whom,  standing  up,  demanded,  in  an  authori- 
tative voice,  the  name  of  the  vessel,  her  de- 
stination and  cargo.  Upon  being  answered, 
they  came  on  board.  After  some  conversa- 
tion with  the  captain,  they  were  about  to  de- 
part, when  I  inquired  whether  I  could  accom- 
pany them  on  shore.  The  person  I  addressed 
was  a  tall  young  man,  with  a  fustian  frock 
coat.  He  had  a  long  face,  long  nose,  and 
wide  mouth,  with  large  restless  eyes.  There 
was  a  grin  on  his  countenance  which  seemed 
permanent,  and  had  it  not  been  for  his  bronzed 
complexion,  I  should  have  declared  him  to  be 
a  cockney,  and  nothing  else.  He  was,  how- 
ever, no  such  thing,  but  what  is  called  a  rock 
lizard,  that  is,  a  person  born  at  Gibraltar  of 
English  parents.  Upon  hearing  my  question, 
which  was  in  Spanish,  he  grinned  more  than 
ever,  and  enquired,  in  a  strange  accent, 
whether  I  was  a  son  of  Gibraltar.  I  replied 
that  I  had  not  that  honour,  but  that  I  was  a 
British  subject.  Whereupon  he  said  that  he 
should  make  no  difficulty  in  taking  me  ashore. 
W^e  entered  the  boat,  which  was  rapidly  rowed 
toward  the  land  by  four  Genoese  sailors.  My 
two  companions  chattered  in  their  strange 
Spanish,  he  of  the  fustian  occasionally  turning 
his  countenance  full  upon  me,  the  last  grin 
appearing  ever  more  hideous  than  the  preced- 
ing ones.  We  soon  reached  the  quay,  where 
my  name  was  noted  down  by  a  person  who 
demanded  my  passport,  and  I  was  then  per- 
mitted to  advance. 

It  was  now  dusk,  and  I  lost  no  time  in 
crossing  the  drawbridge  and  entering  the  long 
low  archway  which,  passing  under  the  ram- 
part, communicates  with  the  town.  Beneath 
this  archway  paced  with  measured  tread,  tall 
red-coated  sentinels  with  shouldered  guns. 
There  was  no  stopping,  no  sauntering  in  these 
men.  There  was  no  laughter,  no  exchange  of 
light  conversation  with  the  passers  by,  but 
their  bearing  was  that  of  British  soldiers, 
conscious  of  the  duties  of  their  station.  What 
a  difference  between  them  and  the  listless 
loiterers  who  stand  at  guard  at  the  gate  of  a 
Spanish  garrisoned  town. 


I  now  proceeded  up  the  principal  street, 
which  runs  with  a  gentle  ascent  along  the 
base  of  the  hill.  Accustomed  for  some  months 
past  to  the  melancholy  silence  of  Seville,  I  was 
almost  deafened  by  the  noise  and  bustle 
which  reigned  around.  It  was  Sunday  night, 
and  of  course  no  business  was  going  on,  but 
there  were  throngs  of  people  passing  up  and 
down.  Here  was  a  military  guard  proceeding 
along;  here  walked  a  group  of  officers,  there 
a  knot  of  soldiers  stood  talking  and  laughing. 
The  greater  part  of  the  civilians  appeared  to 
be  Spaniards,  but  there  was  a  large  sprinkling 
of  Jews  in  the  dress  of  those  of  Barbary,  and 
here  and  there  a  turbaned  Moor.  Tiiere  were 
gangs  of  sailors  likewise,  Genoese,  judging 
from  the  patois  which  they  were  speaking, 
though  I  occasionally  distinguished  tiie  sound 
of  "  tou  logou  sas,"  by  which  I  knew  there 
were  Greeks  at  hand,  and  twice  or  thrice 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  red  cap  and  blue 
silken  petticoats  of  the  mariner  from  the  Ro- 
maic isles.  On  still  I  hurried,  till  I  arrived 
at  a  well  known  hostelry,  close  by  a  kind  of 
square,  in  which  stands  the  little  exchange  of 
Gibraltar.  Into  this  I  ran  and  demanded 
lodging,  receiving  a  cheerful  welcome  from 
the  genius  of  the  place,  who  stood  behind  the 
bar,  and  whom  I  shall  perhaps  have  occasion 
subsequently  to  describe.  All  the  lower 
rooms  were  filled  with  men  of  the  rock,  bur- 
ly men  in  general,  with  swarthy  complexions 
and  English  features,  with  white  hats,  white 
jean  jerkins,  and  white  jean  pantaloons. 
They  were  smoking  pipes  and  cigars,  and 
drinking  porter,  wine,  and  various  other  fluids, 
and  conversing  in  the  rock  Spanish,  or  rock 
English,  as  the  fit  took  them.  Dense  was  the 
smoke  of  tobacco,  and  great  the  din  of  voices, 
and  I  was  glad  to  hasten  up  stairs  to  an  unoc- 
cupied apartment,  where  I  was  served  with 
some  refreshment,  of  which  I  stood  much  in 
need. 

I  was  soon  disturbed  by  the  sound  of  mar- 
tial music  close  below  my  windows.  I 
went  down  and  stood  at  the  door.  A  mili- 
tary band  wds  marshalled  upon  the  little 
square  before  the  exchange.  It  was  prepar- 
ing to  beat  the  retreat.  After  the  prelude, 
which  was  admirably  executed,  the  tall 
leader  gave  a  flourish  with  his  stick,  and 
strode  forward  up  the  street,  followed  by  the 
whole  company  of  noble  looking  fellows  and 
a  crowd  of  admiring  listeners.  The  cymbals 
clashed,  the  horns  screamed,  and  the  kettle- 
drum emitted  its  deep  awful  note,  till  the 
old  rock  echoed  again,  and  the  hanging  ter- 
races of  the  town  rang  with  the  stirring 
noise: 

"  Dub-a-dub,  dub- a-dub— thus  go  the  drums, 
Tantara,  tantara,  the  Englishman  comes." 

O  England !  long,  long  may  it  be  ere  the 
sun  of  thy  glory  sink  beneath  the  wave  of 
darkness!  Though  gloomy  and  portentous 
clouds  are  now  gathering  rapidly  around 
thee,  still,  still  may  it  please  the  Almighty 
to  disperse  them,  and  to  grant  thee  a  futurity 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


Sil 


longer  in  duration  and  still  brighter  in  re- 
nown than  thy  past!  Or  if  thy  doom  be  at 
hand,  may  that  doom  be  a  noble  one,  and 
worthy  of  her  who  has  been  styled  the  Old 
Queen  of  the  waters!  May  thou  sink,  if 
thou  dost  sink,  amidst  blood  and  flame,  with 
a  mighty  noise,  causing  more  than  one  na- 
tion to  participate  in  thy  downfall!  Of  all 
fates,  may  it  please  the  Lord  to  preserve 
thee  from  a  disgraceful  and  a  slow  decay ; 
becoming,  ere  extinct,  a  scorn  and  a  mockery 
for  those  sellsame  foes  who  now,  though 
they  envy  and  abhor  thee,  still  fear  thee, 
nay,  even  against  their  Avill,  honour  and  re- 
spect thee. 

Arouse  thee,  whilst  yet  there  is  time,  and 
prepare  thee  for  the  combat  of  life  and  death  ! 
Cast  from  thee  the  foul  scurf  which  now  en- 
crusts thy  robust  limbs,  which  deadens  their 
force,  and  makes  them  heavy  and  powerless ! 
Cast  from  thee  thy  false  philosophers,  who 
would  fain  decry  what,  next  to  the  love  of 


God,  has  hitherto  been  deemed  most  sacred, 
the  love  of  the  mother  land !  Cast  from  thee 
thy  false  patriots,  who,  under  the  pretext  of 
redressing  the  wrongs  of  the  poor  and  weak, 
seek  to  promote  internal  discord,  so  that 
thou  mayest  become  only  terrible  to  thyself! 
And  remove  from  thee  the  false  prophets, 
who  have  seen  vanity  and  divined  lies;  who 
have  daubed  thy  wall  with  untempered 
mortar,  that  it  may  fall ;  who  see  visions  of 
peace  where  there  is  no  peace ;  who  have 
strengthened  the  hands  of  the  wicked,  and 
made  the  heart  of  the  righteous  sad.  O,  do 
this,  and  fear  not  the  result,  for  either  shall 
thy  end  be  a  majestic  and  an  enviable  one, 
or  God  shall  perpetuate  thy  reign  upon  the 
waters,  thou  Old  Q,ueen ! 

The  above  was  part  of  a  broken  prayer  for 
my  native  land,  which,  after  my  usual 
thanksgiving,  I  breathed  to  the  Almighty  ere 
retiring  to  rest  that  Sunday  night  at  Gib- 
raltar. 


CHAPTER  LII. 


The  Jolly  Hostler — Aspirants  for  Glory — A  Portrait— Hamalos — Solomons — An  Expedition — The 
Yeoman  Soldier — The  Excavations — The  Pull  by  the  Skirt — Judah  and  his  Fadier — Judah's  Pil- 
grimage— The  Bushy  Beard — The  False  Moors — Judah  and  the  King's  Son — Premature  Old  Age. 


Perhaps  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  have  chosen  a  situation  more  adapted  for 
studying  at  my  ease  Gibraltar  and  its  inhabi- 
tants, than  that  which  I  found  myself  occu- 
pying about  ten  o'clock  on  the  following 
morning.  Seated  on  a  small  bench  just  op- 
posite the  bar,  close  by  the  door,  in  the  pas- 
sage of  the  hostelry  at  which  I  had  taken  up 
my  temporary  abode,  I  enjoyed  a  view  of  the 
square  of  the  exchange  and  all  that  was  go- 
ing on  there,  and  by  merely  raising  my 
eyes,  could  gaze  at  my  leisure  on  the  stu- 
pendous hill  which  towers  above  the  town 
to  an  altitude  of  some  thousand  feet.  I  could 
likewise  observe  every  person  who  entered 
or  left  the  house,  which  is  one  of  great  re- 
sort, being  situated  in  the  most  frequented 
place  of  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  the 
town.  My  eyes  were  busy  and  so  were  my 
ears.  Close  beside  me  stood  my  excellent 
friend  Griffiths,  the  jolly  hostler,  of  whom 
I  take  the  present  opportunity  of  saying  a 
few  words,  though  I  dare  say  he  has  been 
frequently  described  before,  and  by  far  better 
pens.  Let  those  who  know  him  not  figure 
to  themselves  a  man  of  about  fifty,  at  least 
six  feet  in  height,  and  weighing  some  eigh- 
teen stone,  an  exceedingly  florid  countenance 
and  good  features,  eyes  full  of  quickness  and 
shrewdness,  but  at  the  same  time  beaming 
with  good  nature.  He  wears  white  panta- 
loons, while  frock,  and  white  hat,  and  is, 
indeed,  all  white,  with  the  exception  of  his 


polished  Wellingtons  and  rubicund  face. 
He  carries  a  whip  beneath  his  arm,  which 
adds  wonderfully  to  the  knowingness  of  his 
appearance,  which  is  rather  more  that  of  a 
gentleman  who  keeps  an  inn  on  the  New- 
market road,  "  purely  for  the  love  of  travel- 
lers, and  the  money  which  they  carry  about 
them,"  than  of  a  native  of  the  rock.  Ne- 
vertheless, he  will  tell  you  himself  that  he  is 
a  rock  lizard ;  and  you  will  scarcely  doubt  it 
when,  beside  his  English,  which  is  broad 
and  vernacular,  you  hear  him  speak  Spanish, 
ay,  and  Genoese  too,  when  necessary,  and 
it  is  no  child's  play  to  speak  the  latter,  which 
I  myself  could  never  master.  He  is  a  good 
judge  of  horse-flesh,  and  occasionally  sells 
"a  bit  of  a  blood,"  or  a  Barbary  steed,  to  a 
young  hand,  though  he  has  no  objection  to 
do  business  with  an  old  one ;  for  there  is  not 
a  thin,  crouching,  livid  faced,  lynx-eyed  Jew 
of  Fez  capable  of  outwitting  him  in  a  bar- 
gain, or  cheating  him  out  of  one  single 
pound  of  the  fifty  thousand  sterling  which  he 
possesses;  and  yet  ever  bear  in  mind  that  he  is  a 
good  natured  fellow  to  those  who  are  disposed 
to  behave  honourably  to  him,  and  know  like- 
wise that  he  will  lend  you  money,  if  you  are  a 
gentleman,  and  are  in  need  of  it;  but  depend 
upon  it,  if  he  refuse  you,  there  is  something 
not  altogether  right  about  you,  for  Griffiths 
knows  his  world,  and  is  not  to  be  made  a  fool  of 
There  was  a  prodigious  quantity  of  porter 
coDsumed  in  my  presence  during  the  short 


M 


THE  BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


hour  that  1  sat  on  the  bench  of  that  hostelry 
of  the  rock.  The  passage  before  the  bar  was 
frequently  filled  with  officers,  who  lounged 
in  for  a  refreshment  which  the  sultry  heat  of 
the  weather  rendered  necessary,  or  at  least 
inviting;  whilst  not  a  few  came  galloping  up 
to  the  door  on  small  Barbary  horses,  which 
are  to  be  found  in  great  abundance  at  Gib- 
raltar. All  seemed  to  be  on  the  best  terms 
with  the  host,  with  whom  they  occasionally 
discussed  the  merits  of  particular  steeds,  and 
■whose  jokes  they  invariably  received  with 
unbounded  approbation.  There  was  much 
in  the  demeanour  and  appearance  of  these 
young  men,  for  the  greater  part  were  quite 
young,  which  was  highly  interesting  and 
agreeable.  Indeed,  I  believe  it  may  be  said 
of  English  officers  in  general,  that  in  per- 
sonal appearance,  and  in  polished  manners, 
they  bear  the  palm  from  those  of  the  same 
class  over  the  world.  True  it  is,  that  the 
officers  of  the  royal  guard  of  Russia,  espe- 
cially of  the  three  noble  regiments  styled  the 
Priberjensky,  Simeonsky,  and  Finlansky 
polks,  might  fearlessly  enter  in  competition 
in  almost  all  points  with  the  flower  of  the 
British  army ;  but  it  must  be  remembered, 
that  those  regiments  are  officered  by  the 
choicest  specimens  of  the  Sclavonian  nobili- 
ty, young  men  selected  expressly  for  the 
splendour  of  their  persons,  and  for  the  supe- 
riority of  their  mental  endowments  ;  whilst, 
probably,  amongst  all  the  fair-haired  Anglo- 
Saxon  youths  whom  I  now  saw  gathered 
near  me,  there  was  not  a  single  one  of  noble 
ancestry,  nor  of  proud  and  haughty  name ; 
and  certainly,  so  far  from  having  been 
selected  to  flatter  the  pride  and  add  to  the 
pomp  of  a  despot,  they  had  been  taken  in- 
discriminately from  a  mass  of  ardent  aspi- 
rants for  military  glory,  and  sent  on  their 
country's  service  to  a  remote  and  unhealthy 
colony.  Nevertheless,  they  were  such  as 
their  country  might  be  proud  of,  for  gallant 
boys  they  looked,  with  courage  on  their 
brows,  beauty  and  health  on  their  cheeks, 
and  intelligence  in  their  hazel  eyes. 

Who  is  he  who  now  stops  before  the  door 
without  entering,  and  addresses  a  question  to 
my  host,  who  advances  with  a  respectful 
salute  1  He  is  no  common  man.  or  his  ap- 
pearance belies  him  strangely.  His  dress  is 
simple  enough ;  a  Spanish  hat,  with  a  peaked 
crown  and  broad  shadowy  brim — the  veritable 
sombrero — jean  pantaloons  and  blue  hussar 
jacket ;  but  how  well  that  dress  becomes  one 
of  the  most  noble-looking  figures  I  ever  be- 
held. I  gazed  upon  him  with  strange  respect 
and"  admiration  as  he  stood  benignantly 
smiling  and  joking  in  good  Spanish  with  an 
impudent  rock  rascal,  who  held  in  his  hand  a 
huge  bogamante,  or  coarse  carrion  lobster, 
which  he  would  fain  have  persuaded  him  to 
purchase.  He  was  almost  gigantically  tall, 
towering  nearly  three  inches  above  the  burly 
host  himself,  yet  athletically  symmetrical,  and 
straight  as  a  pine  tree  of  Dovrefeld.  He 
must  have  counted  eleven  lustres,  which  cast 
an  air  of  mature  dignity  over  a  countenance 


which  seemed  to  have  been  chiseled  by  some 
Grecian  sculptor,  and  yet  his  hair  was  black 
as  the  plume  of  the  Norwegian  raven,  and  so 
was  the  moustache  which  curled  above  his 
well  formed  lip.  In  the  garb  of  Greece,  and 
in  the  camp  before  Troy,  I  should  have  taken 
him  for  Agamemnon.  "Is  that  man  a  gene- 
ral ?"  said  I  to  a  short  queer  looking  personage, 
who  sat  by  my  side,  intently  studying  a 
newspaper.  "  That  gentleman,"  he  whispered 
in  a  lisping  accent,  "  is,  Sir,  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  Gibraltar." 

On  either  side  outside  the  door,  squatting 
on  the  ground,  or  leaning  indolently  against 
the  walls,  were  some  half  dozen  men  of  very 
singular  appearance.  Their  principal  garment 
was  a  kind  of  blue  gown,  something  resembling 
the  blouse  worn  by  the  peasants  of  the  north 
of  France,  but  not  so  long;  it  was  compressed 
around  their  waists  by  a  leathern  girdle,  and 
depended  about  half  way  down  their  thighs. 
Their  legs  were  bare,  so  that  I  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  the  calves,  which  appeared 
unnaturally  large.  Upon  the  head  they  wore 
small  scull-caps  of  black  wool.  I  asked  the 
most  athlectic  of  these  men,  a  dark-visaored 
fellow  of  forty,  who  they  were.  He  answer- 
ed, "  hamalos."  This  word  I  knew  to  be 
Arabic,  in  which  tongue  it  signifies  a  porter ; 
and,  indeed,  the  next  moment,  I  saw  a  similar 
fellow  staggering  across  the  square  under  an 
immense  burden,  almost  sufficient  to  have 
broken  the  back  of  a  camel.  On  again  ad- 
dressing my  swarthy  friend,  and  enquiring 
whence  he  came,  he  replied,  that  he  was  born 
at  Mogadore,  in  Barbary,  but  had  passed  the 
the  greatest  part  of  his  life  at  Gibraltar.  He 
added,  that  he  was  the  "  capitaz,"  or  head 
man  of  the  "  hamalos"  near  the  door.  I  now 
addressed  him  in  the  Arabic  of  the  East, 
though  with  scarcely  the  hope  of  being  un- 
derstood, more  especially  as  he  had  been  so 
long  from  his  own  country.  He  however 
answered  very  pertinently,  his  lips  quivering 
with  eagerness,  and  his  eyes  sparkling  with 
joy,  though  it  was  easy  to  perceive  that  the 
Arabic,  or  rather  the  Moorish,  was  not  the 
language  in  which  he  was  accustomed  either 
to  think  or  speak.  His  companions  all  ga- 
thered around  and  listened  with  avidity,  oc- 
casionally exclaiming,  when  any  thing  was 
said  which  they  approved  of:  "  Wakhud  rajil 
shereef  hada,  minbtled  del scharhiy  (A  holy 
man  this,  from  the  kingdoms  of  the  East.) 
At  last  I  produced  the  shekel,  which  I  inva- 
riably carry  about  me  as  a  pocket-piece,  and 
asked  the  capataz  whether  he  had  ever  seen 
that  money  before.  He  surveyed  the  censer 
and  olive-branch  for  a  considerable  time,  and 
evidently  knew  not  what  to  make  of  it.  At 
length  he  fell  to  inspecting  the  characters 
round  about  it  on  both  sides,  and  giving  a  cry, 
exclaimed  to  the  other  hamalos  :  "  Brothers, 
brothers,  these  are  the  letters  of  Solomon. 
This  silver  is  blessed.  We  must  kiss  this 
money."  He  then  put  it  upon  his  head, 
pressed  it  to  his  eyes,  and  finally  kissed  it 
with  enthusiasm,  as  did  successively  all  his 
brethren.    Then  regaining  it,  he  returned  it 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


213 


to  me,  with  a  low  reverence.  Griffiths  sub- 
sequently informed  me,  that  the  fellow  refused 
lo  work  during  all  the  rest  of  the  day,  and 
did  nothing  but  smile,  laugh,  and  talk  to  him- 
self. 

"  Allow  me  to  offer  you  a  glass  of  bitters, 
sir,"  said  the  queer  looking  personage  before 
mentioned  ;  he  was  a  corpulent  man,  very  short, 
and  his  legs  particularly  so.  His  dress  con- 
sisted of  a  greasy  snufF-coloured  coat,  dirty 
white  trousers,  and  dirtier  stockings.  On  his 
head  he  wore  a  rusty  silk  hat,  the  eaves  of 
which  had  a  tendency  to  turn  up  before  and 
behind.  I  had  observed  that,  during  my  con- 
versation with  the  hamalos,  he  had  several 
times  uplifted  his  eyes  from  the  newspaper, 
and  the  production  of  the  shekel  had  grinned 
very  significantly,  and  had  inspected  it  when 
in  the  hand  of  the  capataz.  "  Allow  me  to 
I  offer  you  a  glass  of  bitters,"  said  he ;  "I 
guessed  you  was  one  of  our  people  before  you 
spoke  to  the  hamalos.  Sir,  it  does  my  heart 
good  to  see  a  gentleman  of  your  appearance 
not  above  speaking  to  his  poor  brethren.  It  is 
what  I  do  myself  not  unfrequently,  and  I 
hope  God  will  blot  out  my  name,  and  that  is 
Solomons,  when  I  despise  them.  I  do  not 
pretend  to  much  Arabic  myself,  yet  I  under- 
stood you  tolerably  well,  and  I  liked  your 
discourse  much.  You  must  have  a  great 
deal  of  shillam  eidri,  nevertheless  you  startled 
me  when  you  asked  the  hamalo  if  he  ever 
read  the  Torah ;  of  course  you  meant  with 
the  meforshim  ;  poor  as  he  is,  I  do  not  believe 
him  becoresh  enough  to  read  the  Torah  with- 
out the  commentators.  So  help  me,  sir,  I  be- 
lieve you  to  be  a  Salamancan  Jew  ;  I  am  told 
there  are  still  some  of  the  old  families  to  be 
found  there.  Ever  at  Tudela,  sir?  not  very 
far  from  Salamanca,  I  believe ;  one  of  my 
own  kindred  once  lived  there  :  a  great  tra- 
veller, sir,  like  yourself;  went  over  all  the 
world  to  look  for  the  Jews, — went  to  the  top 
of  Sinai.  Any  thing  that  I  can  do  for  you  at 
at  Gibraltar,  sir  1  Any  commission  1  will  ex- 
ecute it  as  reasonably,  and  more  expeditiously 
than  any  one  else.  My  name  is  Solomons. 
I  am  tolerably  well  known  at  Gibraltar ;  yes, 
sir,  and  in  the  Crooked  Friars,  and,  for  that 
matter,  in  the  Neuen  SteinSteg,  at  Hamburgh  ; 
so  help  me,  sir,  I  think  I  once  saw  your  face  at 
the  fair  at  Bremen.  Speak  German,  sir  ? 
though  of  course  you  do.  Allow  me,  sir,  to 
offer  you  a  glass  of  bitters.  I  wish,  sir,  they 
were  mayim,  hayim  for  your  sake,  I  do  indeed, 
sir,  I  wish  they  were  living  waters.  Now,  sir, 
do  give  me  your  opinion  as  to  this  matter 
(lowering  his  voice  and  striking  the  news- 
paper.) Do  you  not  think  it  is  very  hard  that 
one  Yudken  should  betray  the  other?  When 
I  put  my  little  secret  beyad  peluni, — you  un- 
derstand me,  sir?  when  I  entrust  my  poor  se- 
cret to  the  custody  of  an  individual,  and  that  in- 
dividual a  Jew,  a  Yudken,  sir,  I  do  not  wish 
to  be  blown,  indeed,  I  do  not  expect  it.  In  a 
word  what  do  you  think  of  the  gold  dust  rob- 
bery, and  what  will  be  done  to  those  unfortu- 
nate people,  who  I  see  are  convicted  ?" 

That  same  day  I  made  inquiry  respecting 


the  means  of  transferring  myself  to  Tangier, 
having  no  wish  to  prolong  my  stay  at  Gib- 
raltar, where,  though  it  is  an  exceedingly  in- 
teresting place  to  an  observant  traveller,  I  had 
no  particular  business  to  detain  me.  In  the 
evening  I  was  visited  by  a  Jew,  a  native  of 
Barbary,  who  informed  me  that  he  was  secre- 
tary to  the  master  of  a  small  Genoese  bark 
which  plied  between  Tangier  and  Gibraltar. 
Upon  his  assuring  me  that  the  vessel  would 
infallibly  start  for  the  former  place  on  the  fol- 
lowing evening,  I  agreed  with  him  for  my 
passage.  He  said  that  as  the  wind  was  blow- 
ing from  the  Levant  quarter,  the  voyage  would 
be  a  speedy  one.  Being  desirous  now  of  dis- 
posing to  the  mostadvantage  of  the  short  time 
which  I  expected  to  remain  at  Gibraltar,  1  de- 
termined upon  visiting  the  excavations,  which 
I  had  as  yet  never  seen,  on  the  following 
morning,  and  accordingly  sent  for  and  easily 
obtained  the  necessary  permission. 

About  six  on  Tuesday  morning,  I  started  on 
this  expedition,  attended  by  a  very  intelligent 
good-looking  lad  of  the  Jewish  persuasion,  one 
of  two  brothers  who  officiated  at  the  inn  in  the 
capacity  of  valets  de  place. 

The  morning  was  dim  and  hazy,  yet  sultry 
to  a  degree.  We  ascended  a  precipitous  street, 
and  proceeding  in  an  easterly  direction,  soon, 
arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  generally 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Moorish  Castle,  a 
large  tower,  but  so  battered  by  the  cannon 
halls  disf^harged  against  it  in  the  famous  siege, 
that  it  is  at  present  little  better  than  a  ruin  ; 
hundreds  of  round  holes  are  to  be  seen  in  its 
sides,  in  which,  as  it  is  said,  the  shot  are  still 
imbedded ;  here,  at  a  species  of  hut,  we  were 
joined  by  an  artillery  sergeant,  who  was  to 
be  our  guide.  After  saluting  us,  he  led  the 
way  to  a  huge  rock,  where  he  unlocked  a  gate 
at  the  entrance  of  a  dark  vaulted  passage 
which  passed  under  it,  emerging  from  which 
passage  we  found  ourselves  in  a  steep  path, 
or  rather  staircase,  with  walls  on  either  side. 

We  proceeded  very  leisurely,  for  hurry  in 
such  a  situation  would  have  been  of  little  avail, 
as  we  should  have  lost  our  breath  in  a  minute's 
time.  The  soldier,  perfectly  well  acquainted 
with  the  locality,  stalked  along  with  measured 
steps,  his  eyes  turned  to  the  ground. 

I  looked  fully  as  much  at  that  man  as  at  the 
strange  place  where  we  now  were,  and  which 
was  every  moment  becoming  stranger.  He 
was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  yeoman  turned 
soldier ;  indeed,  the  corps  to  which  he  belonged 
consists  almost  entirely  of  that  class.  There 
he  paces  along,  tall,  strong,  ruddy,  and  chest- 
nut-haired, an  Englishman  every  inch ;  bo 
hold  him  pacing  along,  sober,  silent,  and  civil, 
a  genuine  English  soldier.  I  prize  the  sturdy 
Scot;  I  love  the  daring  and  impetuous  Irish- 
man ;  I  admire  all  the  various  races  which 
constitute  the  population  of  the  British  isles  ; 
yet  I  must  say  that,  upon  the  whole,  none  are 
so  well  adapted  to  ply  the  soldier's  hardy 
trade  as  the  rural  sons  of  old  England,  so 
strong,  so  cool,  yet,  at  the  same  time,  animated 
with  so  much  hidden  fire.  Turn  to  the  his- 
tory of  England  and  you  will  at  once  perceive 


814 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


of  what  such  niPn  are  capable  :  even  at  Hast- 
ings, in  the  gray  old  time,  under  almost  every 
disadvantage,  weakened  by  a  recent  and  ter- 
rible conflict,  without  discipline,  comparatively 
speaking,  and  uncouthly  armed,  they  all  but 
vanquished  the  Norman  chivalry.  Trace 
their  deeds  in  France,  which  they  twice  sub- 
dued ;  and  even  follow  them  to  Spain,  where 
they  twanged  the  yew  and  raised  the  battle- 
axe,  and  left  behind  them  a  name  of  glory  at 
Ingiis  Mendi,  a  name  that  shall  last  till  fire 
consumes  the  Cantabrian  hills.  And,  oh,  in 
modern  times,  trace  the  deeds  of  these  gallant 
men  all  over  the  world,  and  especially  in 
France  and  Spain,  and  admire  them,  even  as 
I  did  that  sober,  silent,  soldier-like  man  who 
was  showing  me  the  wonders  of  a  foreign 
mountain  fortress,  wrested  by  his  countrymen 
from  a  powerful  and  proud  nation  more  than  a 
century  before,  and  of  which  he  was  now  a 
trusty  and  efficient  guardian. 

We  arrived  close  to  the  stupendous  preci- 
pice, which  rises  abruptly  above  the  isthmus 
called  the  neutral  ground,  staring  gauntly  and 
horridly  at  Spain,  and  immediately  entered  the 
excavations.  They  consist  of  galleries  scooped 
in  the  living  rock  at  the  distance  of  some 
twelve  feet  from  the  outside,  behind  which 
they  run  the  whole  breadth  of  the  hill  in  this 
direction.  In  these  galleries,  at  short  dis- 
tances, are  ragged  yawning  apertures,  all 
formed  by  the  hand  of  man,  where  stand  the 
cannon  upon  neat  slightly  raised  pavements 
of  small  flint  stones,  each  with  its  pyramid  of 
bullets  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  a  box,  in 
which  is  stowed  the  gear  which  the  gunner 
requires  in  the  exercise  of  his  craft.  Every 
thing  was  in  its  place,  every  thing  in  the 
nicest  English  order,  every  thing  ready  to 
scathe  and  overwhelm  in  a  few  moments  the 
proudest  and  most  numerous  host  which  might 
appear  marching  in  hostile  array  against  this 
singular  fortress  on  the  land  side. 

There  is  not  much  variety  in  these  places, 
one  cavern  and  one  gun  resembling  the  other. 
As  for  the  guns,  they  are  not  of  large  calibre, 
indeed,  such  are  not  needed  here,  where  a 
pebble  discharged  from  so  great  an  altitude 
would  be  fraught  with  death.  On  descending 
a  shaft,  however,  I  observed,  in  one  cave  of 
special  importance,  two  enormous  carronades 
looking  with  peculiar  wickedness  and  malig- 
nity down  a  shelving  rock,  which  perhaps, 
although  not  without  tremendous  difficulty, 
might  be  scaled.  The  mere  wind  of  one  of 
these  huge  guns  would  be  sufficient  to  topple 
over  a  thousand  men.  What  sensations  of 
dread  and  horror  must  be  awakened  in  the 
breast  of  a  foe  when  this  hollow  rock,  in  the 
day  of  siege,  emits  its  flame,  smoke,  and 
thundering  wind  from  a  thousand  yawning 
holes ;  horror  not  inferior  to  that  felt  by  the 
peasant  of  the  neighbourhood  when  Mongibello 
belches  forth  from  all  its  orifices  its  sulphure- 
ous fires. 

Emerging  from  the  excavations,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  view  various  batteries.  I  asked  the 
sergeant  whether  his  companions  and  himself 


were  dexterous  at  the  use  of  the  guns.  He 
replied  that  these  cannons  were  to  them  what 
the  fowling-piece  is  to  the  fowler,  that  thev 
handled  them  as  easily,  and,  he  believed, 
pointed  them  with  more  precision,  as  they 
seldom  or  never  missed  an  object  within  range 
of  the  shot.  This  man  never  spoke  until  he 
was  addressed,  and  then  the  answers  which 
he  gave  were  replete  with  good  sense,  and  in 
general  well  worded.  After  our  excursion, 
which  lasted  at  least  two  hours,  I  made  him  a 
small  present,  and  took  leave  with  a  hearty 
shake  of  the  hand. 

In  the  evening  I  prepared  to  go  on  board 
the  vessel  bound  for  Tangier,  trusting  in  what 
the  Jewish  secretary  had  told  me  as  to  its 
sailing.  Meeting  him,  however,  accidentally 
in  the  street,  he  informed  me  that  it  would  not 
start  until  the  following  morning,  advising  me 
at  the  same  time  to  be  on  board  at  an  early 
hour.  I  now  roamed  about  the  streets  until 
night  was  beginning  to  set  in,  and  becoming 
weary,  I  was  just  about  to  direct  my  steps  to 
the  inn,  when  I  felt  myself  gently  pulled  by 
the  skirt.  I  was  amidst  a  concourse  of  peo- 
ple who  were  gathered  around  some  Irish 
soldiers  who  were  disputing,and  I  paid  no  at- 
tention ;  but  I  was  pulled  again  more  forcibly 
than  before,  and  I  heard  myself  addressed  in 
a  language  which  I  had  half  forgotten,  and 
which  I  scarcely  expected  ever  to  hear  again. 
I  looked  round,  and  lo  I  a  tall  figure  stood 
close  to  me  and  gazed  in  my  face  with  anx- 
ious inquiring  eyes.  On  its  head  was  the 
kauk  or  furred  cap  of  Jerusalem ;  depending 
from  its  shoulders,  and  almost  trailing  on  the 
ground,  was  a  broad  blue  mantle,  whilst 
kandrisa  or  Turkish  trousers  enveloped  its 
nether  limbs.  I  gazed  on  the  figure  as  wist- 
fully as  it  gazed  upon  me.  At  first  the  fea- 
tures appeared  perfectly  strange,  and  I  was 
about  to  exclaim,  I  know  you  not,  when  one 
or  two  lineaments  struck  me,  and  I  cried, 
though  somewhat  hesitatingly,  "  Surely  this 
is  Judah  Lib." 

I  was  in  a  steamer  in  the  Baltic  in  the  year 
'34,  if  I  mistake  not.  There  was  a  drizzling 
rain  and  a  high  sea,  when  I  observed  a  young 
man  of  about  two  and  twenty  leaning  in  a 
melancholy  attitude  against  the  side  of  the 
vessel.  By  his  countenance  I  knew  him  to 
be  one  of  the  Hebrew  race,  nevertheless 
there  was  something  very  singular  in  his 
appearance,  something  which  is  rarely  lound 
amongst  that  people,  a  certain  air  of  noble- 
ness which  highly  interested  me.  I  ap- 
proached him,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were 
in  earnest  conversation.  He  spoke  Polish 
and  Jewish  German  indiscriminately.  The 
story  which  he  related  to  me  was  highly  ex- 
traordinary, yet  I  yielded  implicit  credit  to 
all  his  words,  which  came  from  his  mouth 
with  an  air  of  sincerity  which  precluded 
doubt;  and,  moreover,  he  could  have  no 
motive  for  deceiving  me.  One  idea,  one 
object,  engrossed  him  entirely :  "  My  fa- 
ther," said  he,  in  language  which  strongly 
marked  his  race,  "  was  a  native  of  Galatia, 


THE    BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


215 


a  Jew  of  high  caste,  a  learned  man,  for  he 
knew  Zohar,*  and  he  was   likewise  skilled 
in  medicine.     When  I  was  a  child  of  some 
eight  years,  he  left  Galatia,  and    taking  his 
wife,  who  was  my  mother,  and  myself  with 
him,  he  bent  his  way  unto  the  East,  even  to 
Jerusalem  ;  there  he  established  himself  as 
a   merchant,  for  he  was  acquainted   with 
trade  and  the  arts  of  getting  money.     He 
was  much  respected  by  the  Rabbins  of  Je- 
rusalem, for  he  was  a  Polish  man,  and  he 
knew  more  Zohar  and  more  secrets  than  the 
wisest  of  them.    He  made  frequent  journeys, 
and  was  absent  for  weeks  and  for  months, 
but  he  never  exceeded  six  moons.     My  fa- 
ther loved  me,  and  he  taught  me  part  of 
what  he  knew  in  the  moraenis  of  his  leisure. 
I  assisted  him  in  his  trade,  but  he  took  me 
not  with  him  in  his  journeys.     We  had  a 
shop   at  Jerusalem,  even  a  shop   of  com- 
merce, where  we  sold  the  goods  of  the  Naza- 
rene,  and  my  mother  and  myself,  and  even  a 
little  sister  who  was  born  shortly  after  our 
arrival  at  Jerusalem,  all  assisted  ray  father 
in  his  commerce.     At  length  it  came  to  pass, 
that  on  a  particular  time  he  told  us  that  he 
was  going  on  a  journey,  and  he  embraced 
us  and  bade  us  farewell,  and  he  departed, 
whilst  we  continued  at  Jerusalem  attending 
to  the  business.   We  awaited  his  return,  but 
months    passed,  even  six  months,  and  he 
came   not,  and  we  wondered ;  and  months 
passed,   even    other    six    passed,   but  still 
he  came   not,  nor  did  we  hear  any  tidings 
of  him,  and  our  hearts  were  filled  with  hea- 
viness and  sorrow.    But  when  years,  even 
two  years,  were  expired,  I  said  to  my  mo- 
ther, '  I  will  go  and  seek  my  father ;'  and 
she  said,   'Do  so,' and   she  gave  me   her 
blessing,  and  I  kissed  my  little  sister,  and  I 
went  forth  as  far  as  Egypt,  and  there  I  heard 
tidings  of  my  father,  for  people  told  me  he 
had  been  there,  and  they  named  the  time, 
and  they  said  that  he  had  passed  from  thence 
to  the  land  of  the  Turk  ;  so  I  myself  followed 
to  the  land  of  the  Turk,  even  unto  Constan- 
tinople.    And  when  I  arrived  there  1  again 
heard  of  my  father,  for  he  was  well  known 
amongst  the  Jews,  and  they  told   me   the 
time  of  his  being  there,  and  they  added  that 
he  had  speculated  and  prospered,  and   de- 
parted from  Constantinople,  but  whither  he 
went  they  knew  not.     So  I  reasoned  within 
myself  and  said,  perhaps  he  may  have  gone 
to  the  land  of  his  fathers,  even  unto  Galatia, 
to  visit  his  kindred  ;  so  I  determined  to  go 
there  myself,  and  I  went,  and  I  found  our 
kindred,  and  I  made  mydelf  known  to  them, 
and  they  rejoiced   to  see  me:  but  when  I 
asked  them  for  my  father,  they  shook  their 
beads  and  could  give   me  no  intelligence; 
and   they  would  fain    have    had    me    tarry 
witn  them,  but  I  would  not,  for  the  thought 
of  my  father  was  working  strong  within  me. 


*  A  Rabbinical  book,  very  difficult  to  be  under- 
stood, though  written  avowedly  for  the   purpose 
of  elucidating  many  points  connected   with  the  j 
leligious  ceremonies  of  the  Hebrews.  j 


and  I  could  not  rest.  So  I  departed  and 
went  to  another  country,  even  unto  Russia, 
and  I  went  deep  into  that  country,  even  as 
far  as  Kazan,  and  of  all  I  met,  whether  Jew, 
or  Russ,  or  Tartar,  I^nquired  for  my  father  : 
but  no  one  knew  him,  nor  had  heard  of  him. 
So  I  turned  back  and  here  thou  seest  me; 
and  I  now  purpose  going  through  all  Ger- 
many and  France,  nay,  through  all  the 
world,  until  I  have  received  intelligence  of 
my  father,  for  I  cannot  rest  until  I  know 
what  is  become  of  my  father,  for  the  thought 
of  him  burneth  in  my  brain  like  fire,  even 
like  the  fire  of  Jehinnim. 

Such  was  the  individual  whom  I  now  saw 
again,  after  a  lapse  of  five  years,  in  the 
street  of  Gibraltar,  in  the  dusk  of  the  even- 
ing. "  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  am  Judah, 
surnamed  the  Lib.  Thou  didst  not  recoo^- 
nise  me,  but  1  knew  thee  at  once.  I  should 
have  known  thee  amongst  a  million,  and 
not  a  day  has  passed  since  I  last  saw  thee, 
but  I  have  thought  on  thee."  I  was  about 
to  reply,  but  he  pulled  me  out  of  the  crowd 
and  led  me  into  a  shop  where,  squatted  on 
the  floor,  sat  six  or  seven  Jews  cutting  lea- 
ther; he  said  something  to  them  which  I 
did  not  understand,  whereupon  they  bowed 
their  heads  and  followed  their  occupation 
without  taking  any  notice  of  us.  A  singular 
figure  had  followed  us  to  the  door;  it  was 
a  man  dressed  in  exceedingly  shs^bby  Euro- 
pean garments,  which  exhibited  nevertheless 
the  cut  of  a  fashionable  tailor.  He  seemed 
about  fifty;  his  face,  which  was  very  broad, 
was  of  a  deep  bronze  colour;  the  features 
were  rugged  but  exceedingly  manly,  and, 
notwithstanding  they  were  those  of  a  Jew, 
exhibited  no  marks  of  cunning,  but  on  the 
contrary,  much  simplicity  and  good  nature. 
His  form  was  above  the  middle  height  and 
tremendously  athletic,  the  arms  and  back 
were  literally  those  of  a  Hercules  squeezed 
into  a  modern  surtout ;  the  lower  part  of  his 
face  was  covered  with  a  bushy  beard,  which 
depended  half  way  down  his  breast.  This 
figure  remained  at  the  door,  his  eyes  fixed 
upon  myself  and  Judah. 

The  first  enquiry  which  I  now  addressed 
was,  "Have  you  heard  of  your  father?" 

"I  have,"  he  replied.  "  When  we  parted, 
I  proceeded  through  many  lands,  and  wher- 
ever I  went  I  inquired  of  the  people  respecting 
my  father,  but  still  they  shook  their  heads, 
until  I  arrived  at  the  land  of  Tunis;  and  there 
I  went  to  the  head  rabbi,  and  he  told  me  that 
he  knew  my  father  well,  and  that  he  had  been 
there,  even  at  Tunis,  and  he  named  the  time, 
and  he  said  that  from  thence  he  departed  for 
the  land  of  Fez  ;  and  he  spoke  much  of  my 
father  and  of  his  learning,  and  he  mentioned 
the  Zohar,  even  that  dark  book  which  iny 
father  loved  so  well;  and  he  spoke  yet  more 
of  my  father's  wealth  and  his  speculations,  in 
all  of  which  it  seems  he  bad  thriven.  So  I 
departed  and  I  mounted  a  ship,  and  1  went  into 
the  land  of  Barbary,  even  unto  Fez,  and  when 
I  arrived  there  I  heard  much  intelligence  of 
my  father,  but  it  waa  intelligence  which  per* 


216 


THE   BIBLE   IN   SPAIN. 


haps  was  worse  than  ig'norance.  For  the 
Jews  told  me  that  my  father  had  been  there, 
and  had  speculated  and  had  thriven,  and  that 
from  thence  he  departed  for  Tafilaltz,  which 
is  the  country  of  which  the  Emperor,  even 
Muley  Ahderrahman,  is  a  native;  and  there 
he  was  still  prosperous,  and  his  wealth  in  gold 
and  silver  was  very  great;  and  he  wished  to 
go  to  a  not  far  distant  town,  and  he  engaged 
certain  INIoors,  two  in  number,  to  accompany 
him  and  defend  him  and  his  treasures;  and 
the  Moors  were  strong  men,  even  makhasniah 
or  soldiers;  and  they  made  a  covenant  with 
my  father,  and  they  gave  him  their  right 
hands,  and  they  swore  to  spill  their  blood 
rather  than  his  should  be  shed.  And  my 
father  was  encouraged,  and  he  waxed  bold, 
and  he  departed  with  them,  even  with  the 
two  false  Moors.  And  when  they  arrived  in 
the  uninhabited  place,  they  smote  my  father, 
and   they  prevailed   against    him,  and   they 

Eoured  out  his  blood  in  the  way,  and  they  rob- 
ed him  of  all  he  had,  of  his  silks  and  his 
merchandize,  and  of  the  gold  and  silver  which 
he  had  made  in  his  speculations,  and  they 
•went  to  their  own  village,  and  there  they  sat 
themselves  down  and  bought  lands  and  houses, 
and  they  rejoiced  and  they  triumphed,  and 
they  made  a  merit  of  their  deed,  saying :  '  We 
have  killed  an  infidel,  even  an  accursed  Jew  ;' 
and  these  things  were  notorious  in  Fez.  And 
•when  I  heard  these  tidings  my  heart  was  sad, 
and  I  became  like  a  child,  and  I  wept;  but 
the  fire  of  Jehinnim  burned  no  longer  in  my 
brain,  for  I  now  knew  what  was  become  of 
my  father.  At  last  I  took  comfort  and  I  rea- 
soned with  myself,  saying,  '  Would  it  not  be 
wise  to  go  unto  the  Moorish  king  and  demand 
of  him  vengeance  for  my  father's  death,  and 
that  the  spoilers  be  despoiled,  and  the  treasure, 
even  my  father's  treasure,  be  wrested  from 
their  hands  and  delivered  up  to  me  who  am 
his  son  V  And  the  king  of  the  Moors  was  not 
at  that  time  in  Fez,  but  was  absent  in  his 
wars;  and  I  arose  and  followed  him,  even 
unto  Arbat,  which  is  a  seaport,  and  when  I 
arrived  there,  lo!  I  found  him  not,  but  his  son 
•was  there,  and  men  said  unto  me,  that  to  speak 
unto  the  son  was  to  speak  unto  the  king,  even 
Muley  Abderrahman;  so  I  went  in  unto  the 
king's  son,  and  I  kneeled  before  him,  and  I 
lifted  up  my  voice  and  I  said  unto  him  what  I 
had  to  say,  and  he  looked  courteously  upon 
me  and  said,  'Truly  thy  tale  is  a  sorrowful 
one,  and  it  maketh  me  sad :  and  what  thou 
askest  that  will  I  grant,  and  thy  father's  death 
shall  be  avenged,  and  the  spoilers  shall  be 
despoiled  ;  and  I  will  write  thee  a  letter  with 
my  own  hand  unto  the  Pasha,  even  the  Pasha 
of  Tafilaltz,  and  I  will  enjoin  him  to  make 
inquiry  into  fhy  matter,  and  the  letter  thou 
shalt  thyself  carry  and  deliver  unto  him.'  And 
when  I  heard  these  words,  my  heart  died 
•within  my  bosom  for  very  fear,  and  I  replied, 
*  Not  so,  my  lord  ;  it  is  good  that  thou  write 
a  letter  unto  the  Pasha,  even  unto  the  Pasha 
of  Tafilaltz,  but  that  letter  will  I  not  take, 


neither  will  I  go  to  Tafilaltz,  for  no  sooner 
should  I  arrive  there  and  my  errand  be  known, 
than  the  Moors  would  arise  and  put  me  to 
death,  either  privily  or  publicly,  for  are  not 
the  murderers  of  my  father  Moors;  and  am  I 
aught  but  a  Jew,  though  I  be  a  Polish  man  V 
And  he  looked  benignantly,  and  he  said, 
'Truly,  thou  speakest  wisely;  I  will  write 
the  letter,  but  thou  shalt  not  take  it,  for  I  will 
send  it  by  other  hands ;  therefore  set  thy  heart 
at  rest,  and  doubt  not  that,  if  thy  tale  be  true, 
thy  father's  death  shall  be  avenged,  and  the 
treasure,  or  the  value  thereof,  be  recovered  and 
given  up  to  thee;  tell  me,  therefore,  where 
wilt  thou  abide  till  then?'  And  1  said  unto 
him,  'My  lord,  I  will  go  into  the  land  of  Suz 
and  will  tarry  there.'  And  he  replied:  'Do 
so,  and  thou  shalt  hear  speedily  from  me.' 
So  I  arose  and  departed  and  went  into  the  land 
of  Suz,  even  unto  Sweerah,  which  the  Naza- 
renes  call  Mogadore;  and  I  waited  with  a 
troubled  heart  for  intelligence  from  the  son  of 
the  Moorish  king,  but  no  intelligence  came, 
and  never  since  that  day  have  I  heard  from 
him,  and  it  is  now  three  years  since  I  was  in 
his  presence.  And  1  sat  me  down  at  Moga- 
dore, and  I  married  a  wife,  a  daughter  of  our 
nation,  and  I  wrote  to  my  mother,  even  to 
Jerusalem,  and  she  sent  me  money,  and  with 
that  1  entered  into  commerce, even  as  my  father 
had  done,  and  I  speculated,  and  I  was  not  suc- 
cessful in  my  speculations,  and  I  speedily  lost 
all  I  had.  And  now  I  am  come  to  Gibraltar 
to  speculate  on  the  account  of  another,  a  mer- 
chant of  Mogadore,  but  I  like  not  my  occupa- 
tion, he  has  deceived  me;  1  am  going  hack, 
when  I  shall  again  seek  the  presence  of  the 
Moorish  king  and  demand  that  the  treasure  of 
my  father  be  taken  from  the  spoilers  and  de- 
livered up  to  me,  even  to  me  his  son." 

I  listened  with  mute  attention  to  the  sin* 
gular  tale  of  this  singular  man,  and  when  he 
had  concluded  I  remained  a  considerable  lime 
without  saying  a  word  ;  at  last  he  inquired 
what  had  brought  me  to  Gibraltar.  1  told 
him  I  was  merely  a  passer  through  on  my  way 
to  Tangier,  for  which  place  I  expected  to  sail 
the  following  morning.  Whereupon  he  ob- 
served, that  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  two  he 
expected  to  be  there  also,  when  he  hoped  that 
we  should  meet,  as  he  had  much  more  to  tell 
me.  "And  perad venture,"  he  added,  "you 
can  afford  me  counsel  which  will  be  profitable, 
for  you  are  a  person  of  experience,  versed  in 
the  ways  of  many  nations;  and  when  I  look 
in  your  countenance,  heaven  seems  to  open  to 
me,  for  I  think  I  see  the  countenance  of  a 
friend,  even  of  a  brother."  He  then  bade  me 
farewell,  and  departed ;  the  strange  bearded 
man,  who  during  our  conversation  had  re- 
mained patiently  waiting  at  the  door,  followed 
him.  I  remarked  that  there  was  less  wildness 
in  his  look  than  on  the  former  occasion,  but, 
at  the  same  time,  more  melancholy,  and  his 
features  were  wrinkled  like  those  of  an  aged 
man,  though  he  had  not  yet  passed  the  prime 
of  youth. 


i 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


217 


CHAPTER  LIII. 


Genoese  Mariners — Saint  Michael's  Cave — Midnight  Abysses — Young  American — A  Slave  Pro- 
prietor— The  Fairy  Man — Infidelity. 


Throughout  the  whole  of  that  night  it 
blew  very  hard,  but  as  the  wind  was  in  the 
Levant  quarter,  I  had  no  apprehension  of 
being  detained  longer  at  Gibraltar  on  that 
account.  I  went  on  board  the  vessel  at  an 
early  hour,  when  1  found  the  crew  engaged 
in  hauling  the  anchor  close,  and  making 
other  preparations  for  sailing.  They  in- 
formed me  that  we  should  probably  start  in 
an  hour.  That  time  however  passed,  and 
we  still  remained  where  we  were,  and  the 
captain  continued  on  shore.  We  formed 
one  of  a  small  flotilla  of  Genoese  barks,  the 
crew  of  which  seemed  in  their  leisure  mo- 
ments to  have  no  better  means  of  amusing 
themselves  than  the  exchange  of  abusive 
language  :  a  furious  fusilade  of  this  kind  pre- 
sently commenced,  in  which  the  mate  of  our 
vessel  particularly  distinguished  himself;  he 
was  a  grey-haired  Genoese  of  sixty.  Though 
not  able  to  speak  their  patois,  I  understood 
much  of  what  was  said  ;  it  was  truly  shock- 
ing, and  as  they  shouted  it  forth,  judging 
from  their  violent  gestures  and  distorted  fea- 
tures, you  would  have  concluded  them  to  be 
bitter  enemies;  they  were,  however,  nothing 
of  the  kind,  but  excellent  friends  all  the  time, 
and  indeed  very  good-humoured  fellows  at 
bottom.  Oh,  the  infirmities  of  human  na- 
ture !  When  will  man  learn  to  become  truly 
Christian? 

I  am  upon  the  whole  very  fond  of  the 
Genoese ;  they  have,  it  is  true,  much  ribaldry 
and  many  vices,  but  they  are  a  brave  and 
chivalrous  people,  and  have  ever  been  so, 
and  from  them  I  have  never  experienced 
aught  but  kindness  and  hospitality. 

After  the  lapse  of  another  two  hours,  the 
Jew  secretary  arrived  and  said  something  to 
the  old  mate,  who  grumbled  much;  then 
coming  up  to  me,  he  took  off  his  hat  and  in- 
formed me  that  we  were  not  to  start  that 
day,  saying  at  the  same  time  that  it  was  a 
shame  to  lose  such  a  noble  wind,  which 
would  carry  us  to  Tangier  in  three  hours. 
"  Patience"  said  I,  and  went  on  shore. 

I  now  strolled  towards  Saint  Michael's 
cave,  in  company  with  the  Jewish  lad 
whom  I  have  before  mentioned. 

The  way  thither  does  not  lie  in  the  same 
direction  as  that  which  leads  to  the  excava- 
tions; these  confront  Spain,  whilst  the  cave 
yawns  in  the  face  of  Africa.  It  lies  nearly 
at  the  top  of  the  mountain,  several  hundred 
yards  above  the  sea.  We  passed  by  the 
public  walks,  where  there  are  noble  trees, 
and  also  by  many  small  houses,  situated  de- 
lightfully in  gardens,  and  occupied  by  the 
officers  of  the  garrison.  It  is  wrong  to  sup- 
pose Gibraltar  a  mere  naked  barren  rock;  it 
28 


is  not  without  its  beautiful  spots — spots  such 
as  these,  looking  cool  and  refreshing,  with 
bright  green  foliage.  The  path  soon  became 
very  steep,  and  we  left  behind  us  the  dwell- 
ings of  man.  The  gale  of  the  preceding 
night  had  entirely  ceased,  and  not  a  breath 
of  air  was  stirring;  the  midday  sun  shone  in 
all  its  fierce  glory,  and  the  crags  up  which 
we  clambered  were  not  unfrequently  watered 
with  the  perspiration  drops  which  rained 
from  our  temples:  at  length  we  arrived  at 
the  cavern. 

The  mouth  is  a  yawing  cleft  in  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  about  twelve  feet  high  and 
as  many  wide ;  within  there  is  a  very  rapid 
precipitous  descent  for  some  fifty  yards, 
where  the  cavern  terminates  in  an  abyss 
which  leads  to  unknown  depths.  The  most 
remarkable  object  is  a  natural  column,  which 
rises  up  something  like  the  trunk  of  an  enor- 
mous oak,  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  support- 
ing the  roof;  it  stands  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  entrance,  and  gives  a  certain  air  of 
wildness  and  singularity  to  that  part  of  the 
cavern  which  is  visible  which  it  would  other- 
wise not  possess.  The  floor  is  exceedingly 
slippery,  consisting  of  soil  which  the  con- 
tinual drippings  from  the  roof  have  saturated, 
so  that  no  shght  precaution  is  necessary  for 
him  who  treads  it.  It  is  very  dangerous  to 
enter  this  place  without  a  guide  well  ac- 
quainted with  it,  as,  besides  the  black  pit  at 
the  extremity,  holes  which  have  never  been 
fathomed  present  themselves  here  and  there, 
falling  into  which  the  adventurer  would  be 
dashed  to  pieces.  Whatever  men  may 
please  to  say  of  this  cave,  one  thing  it  seems 
to  tell  to  all  who  approach  it,  namely,  that 
the  hand  of  man  has  never  been  busy  about 
it;  there  is  many  a  cave  of  nature's  forming, 
old  as  the  earth  on  which  we  exist,  which 
nevertheless  exhibits  indications  that  man 
has  turned  it  to  some  account,  and  that  it 
has  been  subjected  more  or  less  to  his  modi- 
fying power;  not  so  this  cave  of  Gibraltar, 
for,  judging  from  its  appearance,  there  is  not 
the  slightest  reason  for  supposing  that  it  ever 
served  for  aught  else  than  a  den  for  foul 
night  birds,  reptiles,  and  beasts  of  prey.  It 
has  been  stated  by  some  to  have  been  used 
iu  the  days  of  paganism  as  a  temple  to  the 
god  Hercules,  who,  according  to  the  ancient 
tradition,  raised  the  singular  mass  of  crags 
now  called  Gibraltar,  and  the  mountain 
which  confronts  it  on  the  African  shores,  as 
columns  which  should  say  to  all  succeeding 
times  that  he  had  been  there,  and  had  ad- 
vanced no  farther.  Suflficient  to  observe, 
that  there  is  nothing  within  the  cave  which 
would  authorize  the  adoption  of  such  an . 


«I8 


THE   BIBLE   IN  SPAIN. 


opinion,  not  even  a  platform  on  which  an 
altar  could  have  stood,  whilst  a  narrow  path 
passes  before  it,  leading  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountain.  As  I  have  myself  never  pene- 
trated into  its  depths,  I  can  of  course  not 
pretend  to  describe  them.  Numerous  have 
been  the  individuals  who,  instigated  by  curi- 
osity, have  ventured  down  to  immense 
depths,  hoping  to  discover  an  end,  and  in- 
deed scarcely  a  week  passes  without  similar 
attempts  being  made  either  by  the  officers  or 
soldiers  of  the  garrison,  all  of  which  have 
proved  perfectly  abortive.  No  termination 
has  ever  been  reached,  nor  any  discoveries 
made  to  repay  the  labour  and  frightful  danger 
incurred;  precipice  succeeds  precipice,  and 
abyss  succeeds  abyss,  in  apparently  endless 
succession,  with  ledges  at  mtervals,  which 
afford  the  adventurers  opportunities  for  rest- 
ing themselves  and  affixing  their  rope-lad- 
ders for  the  purpose  of  descending  yet  far- 
ther. What  is,  however,  most  mortifying 
and  perplexing,  is  to  observe  that  these 
abysses  are  not  only  before^  but  behind  you, 
and  on  every  side;  indeed,  close  within  the 
entrance  of  the  cave,  on  the  right,  there  is  a 
gulf  almost  equally  dark  and  full  as  threat- 
ening as  that  which  exists  at  the  nether  end, 
and  perhaps  contains  within  itself  as  many 
gulfs  and  horrid  caverns  branching  off  in  all 
directions.  Indeed,  from  what  I  have  heard, 
I  have  come  to  the  opinion  that  the  whole 
hill  of  Gibraltar  is  honeycombed,  and  I  have 
little  doubt  that,  were  it  cleft  asunder,  its  in- 
terior would  be  found  full  of  such  abysses 
of  Erebus  as  those  to  which  Saint  Michael's 
cave  conducts.  Many  valuable  lives  are 
lost  every  year  in  these  horrible  places;  and 
only  a  few  weeks  before  my  visit,  two  ser- 
geantb,  brothers,  had  perished  in  the  gulf  on 
the  right  hand  side  of  the  cave,  having,  when 
at  a  great  depth,  slipped  down  a  precipice. 
The  body  of  one  of  these  adventurous  men  is 
even  now  rotting  in  the  bowels  of  the  moun- 
tain, preyed  upon  by  its  blind  and  noisome 
worms ;  that  of  his  brother  was  extricated. 
Immediately  after  this  horrible  accident,  a 
gate  was  placed  before  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
to  prevent  individuals,  and  especially  the 
reckless  soldiers,  from  indulging  in  their  ex- 
travagant curiosity.  The  lock,  however,  was 
speedily  forced,  and  at  the  period  of  my  ar- 
rival the  gate  swung  idly  upon  its  hinges. 

As  I  left  the  place,  I  thought  that  perhaps 
similar  to  this  was  the  cave  of  Horeb,  where 
dwelt  Elijah,  when  he  heard  the  still  small 
voice,  after  the  great  and  strong  wind  which 
rent  the  mountains  and  brake  in  pieces  the 
rocks  before  the  Lord ;  the  cave  to  the  en- 
trance of  which  he  went  out  and  stood  with 
his  face  wrapped  in  his  mantle,  when  he 
heard  the  voice  say  unto  him,  "  Whatdoest 
thou  here  Elijah?"    [i  Kings,  xix.  11—13.] 

And  what  am  I  doing  here,  I  inquired  of 
myself  as,  vexed  at  my  detention,  I  descend- 
ed into  the  town. 

That  afternoon  I  dined  in  the  company  of 
a  young  American,  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina.   I  had  frequently  seen  him  before  as 


he  had  been  staying  for  some  time  at  the  ina 
previous  to  my  arrival  at  Gibraltar.  His 
appearance  was  remarkable :  he  <v&s  low 
of  stature,  and  exceedingly  slightly  made; 
his  features  were  pale  but  well  formed;  he 
had  a  magnificent  head  of  crispy  black  hair, 
and  as  superb  a  pair  of  whiskers  of  the  same 
colour  as  I  ever  beheld.  He  wore  a  white 
hat,  with  broad  brim  and  particularly  shallow 
crown,  and  was  dressed  in  a  light  yellow 
gingham  frock  striped  with  black,  and  ample 
trousers  of  calico :  in  a  word,  his  appear- 
ance was  altogether  queer  and  singular.  On 
my  return  from  my  ramble  to  the  cave,  I 
found  that  he  had  himself  just  descended 
from  the  mountain,  having  since  a  very  early 
hour  been  absent  exploring  its  wonders. 

A  man  of  the  rock  asked  him  how  he 
liked  the  excavations.  "  Liked  them,"  said 
he;  "you  might  just  as  Avell  ask  a  person 
who  has  just  seen  the  Niagara  Falls  how  he 
liked  them — like  is  not  the  word,  mister." 
The  heat  was  suffocating,  as  it  almost  inva- 
riably is  in  the  town  of  Gibraltar,  where 
rarely  a  breath  of  air  is  to  be  felt,  as  it  is 
sheltered  from  all  winds.  This  led  another 
individual  to  inquire  of  him  whether  he  did 
not  think  it  exceedingly  hot?  "  Hot,  sir," 
he  replied,  "  not  at  all :  fine  cotton  gathering 
weather  as  a  man  could  wish  for.  We 
couldn't  beat  it  in  South  Carolina,  sir." 
"  You  live  in  South  Carolina,  sir — I  hope, 
sir,  you  are  not  a  slave  proprietor,"  said  the 
short  fat  Jewish  personage  in  the  snuff- 
coloured  coat,  who  had  offered  me  the  bit- 
ters on  a  previous  occasion  ;  "  it  is  a  terrible 
thing  to  make  slaves  of  poor. people,  simply 
because  they  happen  to  be  black ;  don't  you 
think  so,  sirV  "Think  so,  sir — no,  sir,  I 
don't  think  so — I  glory  in  being  a  slave  pro- 
prietor; have  four  hundred  black  niggers  on 
my  estate — own  estate,  sir,  near  Charleston 
— flog  half  a  dozen  of  them  before  break- 
fast, merelv  for  exercise.  Niggers  only  made 
to  be  flogged,  sir:  try  to  escape  sometimes; 
set  the  blood-hounds  in  their  trail,  catch  them 
in  a  twinkling:  used  to  hang  themselves  for- 
merly :  the  niggers  thought  that  a  sure  way  to 
return  to  their  own  country  and  get  clear  of 
me:  soon  put  a  stop  to  that :  told  them  that  if 
any  more  hanged  themselves  I'd  hang  myself 
too,  follow  close  behind  them,  and  flog  them 
in  their  own  country  ten  times  worse  than  in 
mine.  What  do  you  think  of  that,  friend  ?" 
It  was  easy  to  perceive  that  there  was  more 
of  fun  than  malice  in  this  eccentric  little 
fellow,  for  his  large  grey  eyes  were  sparkling 
with  good  humour  whilst  he  poured  out 
these  wild  things.  He  was  exceedingly  free 
of  his  money;  and  a  dirty  Irish  woman,  a 
soldier's  wife,  having  entered  with  a  basketful 
of  small  boxes  and  trinkets,  made  of  portions 
of  the  rock  of  Gibraltar,  he  purchased  the 
greatest  part  of  her  wares,  giving  her  for 
every  article  the  price  (by  no  means  incon- 
siderable) which  she  demanded.  He  had 
glanced  at  me  several  times,  and  at  last  I 
saw  him  stoop  down  and  whisper  something 
to  the  Jew,  who  replied  in  an  under  tone. 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


219 


though  with  considerable  earnestness,  "  O 
dear  no,  sir;  perfectly  mistaken,  sir :  is  no 
American,  sir: — from  Salamanca,  sir;  the 
gentleman  is  a  Salamancan  Spaniard."  The 
waiter  at  length  informed  us  that  he  had  laid 
the  table,  and  that  perhaps  it  would  be  agree- 
able to  us  to  dine  together:  we  instantly  as- 
sented. I  found  my  new  acquaintance  in 
many  respects  a  most  agreeable  companion : 
be  soon  told  me  his  history.  He  was  a 
planter,  and,  from  what  he  hinted,  just  come 
to  his  property.  He  was  part  owner  of  a 
large  vessel  which  traded  between  Charles- 
ion  and  Gibraltar,  and  the  yellow  fever 
having  just  broken  out  at  the  former  place, 
he  had  determined  to  take  a  trip  [his  first] 
to  Europe  in  this  ship;  having,  as  he  said, 
already  visited  every  state  in  the  Union,  and 
seen  all  that  was  to  be  seen  there.  He  de- 
scribed to  me,  in  a  very  naive  and  original 
manner,  his  sensations  on  passing  by  Tarifa, 
which  was  the  first  walled  town  he  had  ever 
seen.  I  related  to  him  the  history  of  that 
place,  to  which  he  listened  with  great  atten- 
tion. He  made  divers  attempts  to  learn  from 
me  who  I  was ;  all  of  which  1  evaded,  though 
he  seemed  fully  convinced  that  I  was  an 
American;  and  amongst  other  things  asked 
me  whether  my  father  had  not  been  Ameri- 
can consul  at  Seville.  What,  however,  most 
perplexed  him  was  my  understanding  Moor- 
ish and  Gaelic,  which  he  had  heard  me 
speak  respectively  to  the  hamalos  and  the 
Irish  woman,  the  latter  of  whom,  as  he  said, 
had  told  him  that  I  was  a  fairy  man.  At 
last  he  introduced  thesubjectof  religion,  and 


spoke  with  much  contempt  of  revelation, 
avowing  himself  a  deist;  he  was  evidently 
very  anxious  to  hear  my  opinion,  but  here 
again  I  evaded  him,  and  contented  myself 
with  asking  him,  whether  he  had  ever  read 
the  Bible.  He  said  he  had  not;  but  that  he 
was  well  acquainted  with  the  writings  of 
Volney  and  Mirabeau.  I  made  no  answer ; 
whereupon  he  added,  that  it  was  by  no 
means  his  habit  to  introduce  such  subjects, 
and  that  there  were  very  few  persons  to 
whom  he  would  speak  so  unreservedly,  but 
that  I  had  very  much  interested  him,  though 
our  acquaintance  had  been  short.  I  replied, 
that  he  would  scarcely  have  spoken  at  Bos- 
ton in  the  manner  that  I  had  just  heard  him, 
and  that  it  was  easy  to  perceive  that  he  was 
not  a  New  Englander.  "  I  assure  you,"  said 
he,  "  1  should  as  little  have  thought  of  speak- 
ing so  at  Charleston,  for  if  I  held  such  con- 
versation there,  I  should  soon  have  had  to 
speak  to  myself." 

Had  I  known  less  of  deists  than  it  has 
been  my  fortune  to  know,  I  should  perhaps 
have  endeavoured  to  convince  this  young 
man  of  the  erroneousness  of  the  ideas  which 
he  had  adopted  ;  but  I  was  aware  of  all  that  he 
would  have  urged  in  reply,  and  as  the  believer 
has  no  carnal  arguments  to  address  to  carnal 
reason  upon  this  subject,!  thought  it  best  to 
avoid  disputation,  which  I  feltsure  would  lead 
to  no  profitable  result.  Faith  is  the  free  gift 
of  God,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  ever  yet  was 
an  infidel  converted  by  means  of  after-dinner 
polemics.  This  was  the  last  evening  of  my 
sojourn  in  Gibraltar. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 


Again  on  Board — The  Strange  Visage — The  Hadji — Setting  Sail — The   Two  Jews — American 
Vessel — Tangier — Adun  Oulem — The  Struggle — The  Forbidden  Thing. 


On  Thursday,  the  8th  of  August,  I  was 
again  on  board  the  Genoese  bark,  at  as  early 
an  hour  as  on  the  previous  morning.  After 
waiting,  however,  two  or  three  hours  without 
any  preparation  being  made  for  departing,  I 
was  about  to  return  to  the  shore  once  more, 
but  the  old  Genoese  mate  advised  me  to  stay, 
assuring  tne  that  he  had  no  doubt  of  our  sail- 
ing speedily,  as  all  the  cargo  was  on  board, 
and  we  had  nothing  further  to  detain  us.  I 
was  reposing  myself  in  the  little  cabin,  when 
I  heard  a  boat  strike  against  the  side  of  the 
vessel,  and  some  people  come  on  board. 
Presently  a  face  peered  in  at  the  opening, 
strange  and  wild.  I  was  half  asleep,  and  at  first 
imagined  I  was  dreaming,  for  the  face  seemed 
more  like  that  of  a  goat  or  an  ogre  than  of  a 
human  being;  its  long  beard  almost  touch- 
my  face  as  I  lay  extended  in  a  kind  of  berth. 
Starting  up,  however,  I  recognised  the  sin- 
gular looking  Jew  whom  I  had  seen  in  the 


company  of  Judah  Lib.  He  recognised  me 
also,  and  nodding,  bent  his  huge  features  into 
a  smile.  I  arose  and  went  upon  deck,  where 
I  found  him  in  company  with  another  Jew,  a 
young  man  in  the  dress  of  Barbary.  They 
had  just  arrived  in  the  boat.  I  asked  my 
friend  of  the  beard  who  he  was,  from  whence 
he  came,  and  where  he  was  going  ]  He  an- 
swered, in  broken  Portuguese,  that  he  was 
returning  from  Lisbon,  where  he  had  been 
on  business,  to  Mogadore,  of  which  place  he 
was  a  native.  He  then  looked  me  in  the 
face  and  smiled,  and  taking  out  a  book  from 
his  pocket,  in  Hebrew  characters,  fell  to  read- 
ing it;  whereupon  a  Spanish  sailor  on  board 
observed,  that  with  such  a  beard  and  book  he 
must  needs  be  a  sabio,  or  sage.  His  com- 
panion was  from  Mequinez,  and  spoke  only 
Arabic. 

A  large  boat  now  drew  nigh,  the  stern  of 
which  was  filled  with  Moors;  there  might 


i22e 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


be  about  twelve,  and  the  greater  part  evidently 
consisted  of  persons  of  distinction,  as  they 
were  dressed  in  all  the  pomp  and  gallantry 
of  the  East,  with  snow  white  turbans,  jaba- 
dores  of  green  silk  or  scarlet  cloth,  and  be- 
deyas  rich  with  gold  galloon.  Some  of  them  , 
were  exceedingly  fine  men,  and  two  amongst  i 
them,  youths,  were  strikingly  handsome,  and 
60  far  from  exhibiting  the  dark  swarthy 
countenance  of  Moors  in  general,  their  com- 
plexions were  of  a  delicate  red  and  white. 
Tiie  principal  personage,  and  to  whom  all 
the  rest  paid  much  deference,  was  a  tall  ath- 
letic man  of  about  forty.  He  wore  a  vest 
of  white  quilted  cotton,  and  white  kandrisa, 
whilst,  gracefully  wound  round  his  body,  and 
swathing  the  upper  part  of  his  head,  was  the 
haik,  or  white  flannel  wrapping  plaid,  always 
held  in  so  much  estimation  by  the  Mcors  from 
the  earliest  period  of  their  history.  His  legs 
were  bare,  and  his  feet  only  protected  from  the 
ground  by  yellow  slippers.  He  displayed  no 
farther  ornament  than  one  large  gold  ear-ring, 
from  which  depended  a  pearl,  evidently  of  great 
price.  A  noble  black  beard,  about  a  foot  in 
length,  touched  his  muscular  breast.  His 
features  were  good,  with  the  exception  of  the 
eyes,  which  were  somewhat  small;  their  ex- 
pression, however,  was  evil ;  their  glances 
were  sullen;  and  malignity  and  ill-nature 
were  painted  in  every  lineament  of  his  coun- 
tenance, which  seemed  never  to  have  been 
brightened  with  a  smile.  The  Spanish  sailor, 
of  whom  I  have  already  had  occasion  to 
speak,  informed  me,  in  a  whisper,  that  he  was 
a  santurun,  or  big  saint,  and  was  so  far 
back  on  his  way  from  Mecca;  adding,  that 
he  was  a  merchant  of  immense  wealth.  It 
soon  appeared  that  the  other  Moors  had  merely 
attended  him  on  board  through  friendly  polite- 
ness, as  they  all  successively  came  to  bid  him 
adieu,  with  the  exception  of  two  blacks,  who 
were  his  attendants.  I  observed  that  these 
blacks,  when  the  Moors  presented  them  their 
hands  at  departing,  invariably  made  an  effort 
to  press  them  to  their  lips,  which  effort  was  as 
uniformly  foiled,  the  Moors  in  every  instance, 
by  a  speedy  and  graceful  movement,  drawing 
back  their  hand  locked  in  that  of  the  black, 
which  they  pressed  against  their  own  heart;  as 
much  as  to  say,  "  though  a  negro  and  a  slave 
you  are  a  Moslem,  and  being  so,  you  are  our 
brother — Allah  knows  no  distinctions."  The 
boatman  now  went  up  to  the  hadji,  demand- 
ing payment,  slating,  at  the  same  time,  that 
he  had  been  on  board  three  times  on  his 
account,  conveying  his  luggage.  The  sum 
which  he  demanded  appeared  exorbitant  to  the 
hadji,  who,  forgetting  that  he  was  a  saint,  and 
fresh  from  Mecca,  fumed  outrageously,  and  in 
broken  Spanish  called  the  boatman  thief.  If 
there  be  any  term  of  reproach  which  stings 
a  Spaniard  (and  such  was  the  boatman)  more 
than  another,  it  is  that  one ;  and  the  fellow 
no  sooner  heard  it  applied  to  himself,  than 
with  eyes  sparkling  with  fury,  he  put  his  fist 
to  the  hadji's  nose,  and  repaid  the  one  appro- 
brious  name  by  at  least  ten  others  equally  bad 
01  worse.    He  would  perhaps  have  proceeded 


to  acts  of  violence  bad  he  not  been  pulled 
away  by  the  otaer  Moors,  who  led  him  aside, 
and  I  suppose  either  said  or  gave  him  some- 
thing which  pacified  him,  as  he  soon  got  into 
his  boat,  and  returned  with  them  on  shore. 
The  captain  now  arrived  with  his  Jewish  se 
cretary,  and  orders  were  given  for  setting  sail. 

At  a  little  past  twelve  we  were  steering  out 
of  the  bay  of  Gibraltar;  the  wind  was  in  the 
right  quarter,  but  for  some  time  we  did  not 
make  much  progress,  lying  almost  becalmed 
beneath  the  lee  of  the  hill ;  by  degrees,  how- 
ever, our  progress  became  brisker,  and  in 
about  an  hour  we  found  ourselves  careering 
smartly  towards  Tarifa. 

The  Jew  secretary  stood  at  the  helm,  and 
indeed  appeared  to  be  the  person  who  com- 
manded the  vessel,  and  who  issued  out  all  the 
necessary  orders,  which  were  executed  un- 
der the  superintendence  of  the  old  Genoese 
mate.  I  now  put  some  questions  to  the  hadji, 
but  he  looked  at  me  askance  with  his  sullen 
eye,  pouted  with  his  lip,  and  remained  silent; 
as  much  as  to  say,  "  speak  not  to  me,  I  am 
holier  than  thou."  I  found  his  negroes,  how- 
ever, far  more  conversable.  One  of  them  was 
old  and  ugly,  the  other  about  twenty,  and  as 
well-looking  as  it  is  possible  for  a  negro  to 
be.  His  colour  was  perfect  ebony,  his  fea- 
tures exceedingly  well  formed  and  delicate, 
with  the  exception  of  the  lips,  which  were  too 
full.  The  shape  of  his  eyes  was  peculiar ; 
they  were  rather  oblong  than  round,  like  those 
of  an  Egyptian  figure.  Their  expression  was 
thoughtful  and  meditative.  In  every  respect 
he  differed  from  his  companion,  even  in  colour, 
(though  both  were  negroes,)  and  was  evi- 
dently a  scion  of  some  little  knowji  and  supe- 
rior race.  As  he  sat  beneath  the  mast  gazing 
at  the  sea,  1  thought  he  was  misplaced,  and 
that  he  would  have  appeared  to  more  advan- 
tage amidst  boundless  sands,  and  beneath  a 
date  tree,  and  then  he  might  have  well  repre- 
sented a  Jhin.  I  asked  him  from  whence  he 
came,  he  replied  that  he  was  a  native  of  Fez, 
but  that  he  had  never  known  his  parents.  He 
had  been  brought  up  he  added,  in  the  family 
of  his  present  master,  whom  he  had  followed 
in  the  greater  part  of  his  travels,  and  with 
whom  he  had  thrice  visited  Mecca.  I  asked 
him  if  he  liked  being  a  slave  ■?  Wherupon  he 
replied,  that  he  was  a  slave  no  longer,  having 
been  made  free  for  some  time  past,  on  account 
of  his  faithful  services,  as  had  likewise  his 
companion.  He  would  have  told  me  much 
more,  but  the  hadji  called  him  away,  and 
otherwise  employed  him,  probably  to  prevent 
his  being  contaminated  by  me. 

Thus  avoided  by  the  Moslems,  1  betook 
myself  to  the  Jews,  whom  I  found  nowise 
backward  in  cultivating  an  intimacy.  The 
sage  of  the  beard  told  me  his  history,  which 
in  some  respects  reminded  meof  that  of  Judah 
Lib,  as  it  seemed  that,  a  year  or  two  previous, 
he  had  quitted  Mogadore  in  pursuit  of  his  son, 
who  had  betaken  himself  to  Portugal.  On 
the  arrival,  however,  of  the  father  at  Lisbon, 
he  discovered  that  the  fugitive  had,  a  few  days 
1  before,  shipped  himself  for  the  Brazils.    Un- 


THE  BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


221 


'like  Judah  in  quest  of  his  father,  he  now  be- 
came weary,  and  discontinued  the  pursuit. 
The  younger  Jew  from  Mequinez  was  ex- 
ceedingly Cray  and  lively  as  soon  as  he  per- 
ceived thati  was  capable  of  understanding  him, 
and  made  me  smile  by  his  humorous  account 
of  Christian  life,  as  he  had  observed  it  at 
Gibraltar,  where  he  had  made  a  stay  of  about 
a  njonth.  He  then  spoke  of  Mequinez,  which, 
he  said,  was  a  Jennut,  or  paradise,  compared 
with  which  Gibraltar  was  a  sty  of  hogs.  So 
great,  so  universal  is  the  love  of  country.  I 
soon  saw  that  both  these  people  believed  me 
to  be  of  their  own  nation  :  indeed,  the  young 
one,  who  was  much  the  most  familiar,  taxed 
me  with  being  so,  and  spoke  of  the  infamy  of 
denying  my  own  blood.  Shortly  before  our 
arrival  ofFTarifa,  universal  hunger  seemed  to 
prevail  amongst  us.  The  hadji  and  his  ne- 
groes produced  their  store,  and  feasted  on  roast 
fowls,  the  Jews  ate  grapes  and  bread,  myself 
bread  and  cheese,  whilst  the  crew  prepared  a 
mess  of  anchovies.  Two  of  them  speedily 
came  with  a  large  portion,  which  they  pre- 
sented to  me  with  the  kindness  of  brothers:  I 
made  no  hesitation  in  accepting  their  present, 
and  found  the  anchovies  delicious.  As  I  sat 
between  the  Jews,  I  offered  them  some,  but 
they  turned  away  their  heads  with  disgust, 
and  cried  haloof  (hogsflesh.)  They  at  the 
same  time,  however,  shook  me  by  the  hand, 
and,  uninvited,  took  a  small  portion  of  my 
bread.  I  had  a  bottle  of  Cognac,  which  I  had 
brought  with  me  as  a  preventative  to  sea  sick- 
ness, and  I  presented  it  to  them ;  but  this 
they  also  refused,  exclaiming,  Hardm,  (it  is 
forbidden.)     I  said  nothing. 

We  were  now  close  to  the  lighthouse  of 
Tarifa,  and  turning  the  head  of  the  bark  to- 
wards the  west,  we  made  directly  for  the 
coast  of  Africa.  The  wind  was  now  blowing 
very  fresh,  and  as  we  had  it  almost  in  our 
poop,  we  sprang  along  at  a  tremendous  rate, 
the  huge  latine  sails  threatening  every  moment 
to  drive  us  beneath  the  billows,  which  an  ad- 
verse tide  raised  up  against  us.  Whilst  scud- 
ding along  in  this  manner,  we  passed  close 
under  the  stern  of  a  large  vessel  bearing 
American  colours;  she  was  tacking  up  the 
straits,  and  slowly  winning  her  way  against 
the  impetuous  Levant.  As  we  passed  under 
her,  I  observed  the  poop  crowded  with  people 
gazinff  at  us;  indeed,  we  must  have  offered  a 
singular  spectacle  to  those  on  board,  who,  like 
my  young  American  friend  at  Gibraltar,  were 
visiting  the  Old  World  for  the  first  time.  At 
the  helm  stood  the  Jew;  his  whole  figure 
enveloped  in  a  gabardine,  the  cowl  of  which, 
raised  above  his  head,  gave  him  almost  the 
appearance  of  a  spectre  in  its  shroud;  whilst 
upon  the  deck,  mi.xed  with  Europeans  in  va- 
rious kinds  of  dresses,  all  of  them  picturesque 
with  the  exception  of  my  own,  trod  the  tur- 
baned  Moors,  the  haik  of  the  hadji  flapping 
loosely  in  the  wind.  The  view  they  obtained  of 
ns,  however,  could  have  been  but  momentary, 
as  we  bounded  past  them  literally  with  the 
Speed  of  a  racehorse,  so  that  in  about  an  hour's 
time  we  were  not  more  than  a  mile's  distance 


from  the  foreland  on  which  stands  the  fortress 
Alminar,  and  which  constitutes  the  boundary 
point  of  the  bay  of  Tangier  towards  the  east. 
There  the  wind  dropped  and  our  progress  wa3 
again  slow. 

For  a  considerable  time  Tangier  had  ap- 
peared in  sight.  Shortly  after  standing  away 
from  Tarifa,  we  had  descried  it  in  the  far  dis- 
tance, when  it  showed  like  a  white  dova 
brooding  on  its  nest.  The  sun  was  setting 
behind  the  town  when  we  dropped  anchor  in 
its  harbour,  amidst  half  a  dozen  barks  and 
felouks  about  the  size  of  our  own,  the  only 
vessels  which  we  saw.  There  stood  Tangier 
before  us,  and  a  picturesque  town  it  was,  oc- 
cupying the  sides  and  top  of  two  hills,  one  of 
which,  bold  and  bluff,  projects  into  the  sea 
where  the  coast  takes  a  sudden  and  abrupt 
turn.  Frowning  and  battlemented  were  its 
walls,  either  perched  on  the  top  of  precipi- 
tous rocks,  whose  base  was  washed  by  the 
salt  billows,  or  rising  from  the  narrow  strand 
which  separates  the  hill  from  the  ocean. 

Yonder  are  two  or  three  tiers  of  batteries, 
displaying  heavy  guns,  which  command  the 
harbour;  above  them  you  see  the  terraces  of 
the  town  rising  in  succession  like  steps  for 
giants.  But  all  is  white,  perfectly  white,  so 
that  the  whole  seems  cut  out  of  an  immense 
chalk  rock,  though  true  it  is  that  you  behold 
here  and  there  tall  green  trees  springing  up 
from  amidst  the  whiteness  :  perhaps  they  be- 
long to  Moorish  gardens,  and  beneath  them 
even  now  peradventure  is  reclining  many  a 
dark-eyed  Leila,  akin  to  the  houries.  Right 
before  you  is  a  high  tower  or  minaret,  not 
white  but  curiously  painted,  which  belongs  to 
the  principal  mosque  of  Tangier;  a  black 
banner  waves  upon  it.  for  it  is  the  feast  of 
Ashor.  A  noble  beach  of  white  sand  fringes 
the  bay  from  the  town  to  the  foreland  of  Al- 
minar. To  the  east  rise  prodigious  hills  and 
mountains;  they  are  Gibil  Muza  and  his 
chain;  and  yon  tall  fellow  is  the  peak  of 
Tetuan  ;  the  gray  mists  of  evening  are  enve- 
loping their  sides.  Such  was  Tangier,  such 
its  vicinity,  as  it  appeared  to  me  whilst  gazing 
from  the  Genoese  bark. 

A  boat  was  now  lowered  from  the  vessel, 
in  which  the  captain,  who  was  charged  with 
the  mail  from  Gibraltar,  the  Jew  secretary, 
and  the  hadji  and  his  attendant  negroes  de- 
parted for  the  shore.  I  would  have  gone  with 
them,  but  I  was  told  that  I  could  not  land  that 
night,  as  ere  my  passport  and  bill  of  health 
could  be  examined,  the  gates  would  be  closed  ; 
so  I  remained  on  board  with  the  crew  and  the 
two  Jews.  The  former  prepared  their  supper, 
which  consisted  simply  of  pickled  tomates, 
the  other  provisions  having  been  consumed. 
The  old  Genoese  brought  me  a  portion,  apolo- 
gizing at  the  same  time  for  the  plainness  of 
the  fa're.  I  accepted  it  with  thanks,  and  told 
him  that  a  million  better  men  than  myself  had 
a  worse  supper.  I  never  ate  with  more  appe- 
tite. As  the  night  advanced,  the  Jews  sang- 
Hebrew  hymns,  and  when  they  had  concluded, 
demanded  of  me  why  I  was  silent,  so  I  lifted 
up  my  voice  and  chanted  Adun  Oulem  :— 
t2 


1339 


THE  BIBLE   IN  SPAIN. 


"  Reigned  the  universe's  Master,  ere  were  earthly  I  a  few  minutes  was  in  a  sound  sleep,  which 

things  begun;  lasted  till  daybreak.     Twice  or  thrice  indeed 

When  his  mandate  all  created  Ruler  was  the  i  thouoht  that  a  struggle  was  takina  place  near 

name  he  won :  i   '^  t  j      ■  .°  '^      • 

And  alone  He  Ml  rule  tremendous  when  all   '"«'' b"^  I  ^^^s  so  overpowered  with  weariness, 

things  are  past  and  gone,  I  or  "sleep  drunken,    as  the  Germans  call  it. 

He  no  equal  has,  nor  consort,  He,  the  singular^  that  I  was  unable  to  arouse  myself  sufficiently 

and  lone,  to  discover  what  was  going  on:   the  truth  is. 

Has  no  end  and  no  beginning  ;  His  the  sceptre,   that  three  times  during  the   niaht,  the  sa^e, 
He'S^God^nd  living  Sa^dour.  rock  to  whom  I  f^«''"f  himself  uncomfortable  in  the  open  air  by 

in  need  I  run  •  i  *"^  ^'"^  oi  his  companion,  penetrated  into  the 

He  's  my  banner  and  my  refuge,  fount  of  weal  cabin,  and  was  as  many  times  dragged  out  by 

when  caird  upon  ;  his  relentless  old  enemy,  who,  suspecting  his 

In  His  hand  I  place  my  sphit  at  nightfall  and  intentions,  kept  his  eye  upon  him  throughout 

rise  of  sun,  tj^g  night 

And  therewith  my  body  also;  God's  my  God       ^^.^^^  -^^^  I  ^^^^^  .  ^^  ^^-^-^^ 

— 1  tear  no  one.  i,  •   .  .1         j      1     ■       1  l  1 

!  brigliliy  and  gloriously  upon  town,  bay,  and 

Darkness  had  now  fallen  over  land  and  sea;   mountain;  the  crew  were  already  employed 

not  a  sound  was  heard  save  occasionally  the  upon  deck  repairing  a  sail  which  had  been 

distant  barking  of  a  dog  from  the  shore,  or  shivered  in   the  wind  of  the  preceding  day. 

some  plaintive   Genoese  ditty,  which   arose  The  Jews  sat  disconsolate  on  tlie  poop;  they 

from  a  neighbouring  bark.     The  town  seemed  ;  complained  much  of  the  cold  they  had  suti'ered 

buried  in  silence  and  gloom,  no  light,  not  even  in  their  exposed  situation.     Over  the  left  eye 

that  of  a  taper,  could  be  descried.     Turning'  of  the  sage  1  observed  a  bloody  cut,  which  he 

our  eyes  in  the  direction  of  Spain,  however,  informed  me  he  had  received  from  the  old  Ge- 

we    perceived   a    magnificent    conflagration,  noeseafter  he  had  dragged  him  out  of  the  cabin 

seemingly  enveloping  the  side  and  head  of   for  the  last  time.     I  now  produced  my  bottle 

one  of  the  lofty  mountains  northward  of  Ta-j  of  Cognac,  begging  that  the  crew  would  par- 

rifa ;  the  blaze  was  redly  reflected  in  the  wa-j  take  of  it  as  a  slight  return  for  their  hospital- 

ters  of  the  strait:  either  the  brushwood  was  ity.     They  thanked   me,  and  the  bottle  went 


burning  or  the  Carboneros  were  plying  their 
dusky  toil.  The  Jews  now  complained  of 
weariness,  and  the  younger,  uncording  a  small 
mattress,  spread  it  on  the  deck  and  sought 


its  round  ;  it  was  last  in  the  hands  of  the  old 
mate,  who,  after  looking  for  a  moment  at  the 
sage,  raised  it  to  his  mouth,  where  he  kept  it 
a  considerable  time  longer  than  any  of  bis 


repose.     The  sage  descended  into  the  cabin,  j  companions,  after  which  he  returned  it  to  me 


but  he  had  scarcely  time  to  lie  down  ere  the 
old  mate,  darting  forward,  dived  in  after  him, 
and  pulled  him  out  by  the  heels,  for  it  was  very 
shallow,  and  the  descent  was  eflfected  by  not 
more  than  two  or  three  steps.  After  accom- 
plishing this,  he  called  him  many  opprobrious 


with  a  low  bow.  The  sage  now  inquired  what 
the  bottle  contained  :  1  told  him  Cognac  or 
aguardiente,  whereupon  with  some  eagerness 
he  begged  that  I  would  allow  him  to  take  a 
draught.  "  How  is  this  1"  said  I;  "yester- 
day you  told  me  that  it  was  a  forbidden  thing. 


names,  and  threatened  him  with  his  foot,  as  he  I  an  abomination."     "  Yesterday,"  said  he,  "  I 


lay  sprawling  on  the  deck.  "Think  you," 
said  he,  "  who  area  dog  and  a  Jew,  and  pay 
as  a  dog  and  a  Jew;  think  you  to  sleep  in  the 
cabin?  Undeceive  yourself,  beast:  that  cabin 
shall  be  slept  in  by  none  tonight  but  this 
Christian  Cavaliero."  The  sage  made  no 
reply,  but  arose  from  the  deck  and  stroked  his 
beard,  whilst  the  old  Genoese  proceeded  in  his 
philippic.  Had  the  Jew  been  disposed,  he 
could  have  strangled  the  insulter  in  a  moment, 


was  not  aware  that  it  was  brandy  ;  I  thought 
it  wine,  which  assuredly  is  an  abomination, 
and  a  forbidden  thing."  "Is  it  forbidden  in 
the  Torah  V  I  enquired.  "  Is  it  forbidden  in 
the  law  of  God  1"  "  I  know  not,"  said  he, 
"  but  one  thing  I  know,  that  the  sages  have 
forbidden  it !"  "  Sages  like  yourself,"  cried  I 
with  warmth  ;  "  sages  like  yourself,  with  lon^ 
beards  and  short  understandings  :  the  use  of 
both  drinks  is  permitted,  but  more  danger  lurks 


or  crushed  him  todeath  inhisbrawnyarms,asl  in  this  bottle  than  in  a  tun  of  wine.  Well  said 
rever  remember  to  have  seen  a  figure  so  power-  my  Lord  the  Nazarene,  'ye  strain  at  a  gnat, 
ful  and  muscular;  but  he  was  evidently  slow  to  j  and  swallow  a  camel ;'  but  as  you  are  cold 
anger,  and  long-suffering;  nota  resentful  word ;  and  shivering,  take  the  bottle  ard  revive  your- 
fcscaped  him,  and  his  features  retained  their  self  with  a  small  portion  of  its  contents."  He 
usual  expression  of  benignant  placidity.  put  it  to  his  lips  and  found  not  a  single  drop. 

I  now  assured  the  mate  that  I  had  not  the  The  old  Genoese  grinned, 
slightest  objection  to  the  Jew's  sharing  the  "Bestia,"  said  he:  "  I  saw  by  your  looks 
cabin  with  me,  but  rather  wished  it,  as  there  that  you  wished  to  drink  of  that  bottle,  and  I 
was  room  for  us  both  and  for  more.  "Excuse]  said  within  me,  even  though  I  suffocate,  yet 
me,  Sir  Cavalier,"  replied  the  Genoese,  "but!  will  I  not  leave  one  drop  of  the  aguardiente 
I  swear  to  permit  no  such  thing:  you  are  !  of  the  Christian  Cavalier  to  be  wasted  on  that 
young  and  do  not  know  this  canaille  as  I  do,  Jew,  on  whose  head  may  evil  lightnings  fall." 
who  have  been  backward  and  forward  to  this  "Now,  Sir  Cavalier,"  he  continued,  "you 
coast  for  twenty  years;  if  the  beast  is  cold,  let  can  go  ashore:  these  two  sailors  shall  row 
hiin  sleep  below  the  hatches  as  I  and  the  rest  you  to  the  Mole,  and  convey  your  baggage 
shall,  but  that  cabin  he  shall  not  enter."  Ob-  where  you  think  proper;  may  the  Virgin  bless 
serving  that  he  was  obstinate,  I  retired,  and  in  I  you  wherever  you  go." 


THE   BIBLE  IN  SPAIN. 


263 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

The  Mole— The  Two  Moors— Djmah  of  Tangier— House  of  God — The  British  Consul — Curious 
Spectacle — The  Moorish  House — Joanna  Correa — Ave  Maria. 


So  we  rowed  to  the  Mole  and  landed.  This 
Mole  consists  at  present  of  nothing  more  than 
an  immense  number  of  larpje  loose  stones, 
which  run  about  five  hundred  yards  into  the 
bay ;  they  are  part  of  the  ruins  of  a  magnifi- 
cent pier  which  the  English,  who  were  the 
last  foreign  nation  which  held  Tangier,  de- 
stroyed when  they  evacuated  the  place.  The 
Moors  have  never  attempted  to  repair  it;  the 
surf  at  high  water  breaks  over  it  with  great 
fury.  I  found  it  a  difiicult  task  to  pick  my 
way  over  the  slippery  stones,  and  should  once 
or  twice  have  fallen,  but  for  the  kindness  of 
the  Genoese  mariners.  At  last  we  reached 
the  beach,  and  were  proceeding  towards  the 
gate  of  the  town,  when  two  persons.  Moors, 
came  up  to  us.  I  almost  started  at  sight  of 
the  first :  he  was  a  huge  old  barbarian  with  a 
white  uncombed  beard,  dirty  turban,  haik,  and 
trousers,  naked  legs,  and  immense  splay  feet, 
the  heels  of  which  stood  out  a  couple  of  inches 
at  least  behind  his  rusty  black  slippers. 

"That  is  the  captain  of  the  port,"  said  one 
of  the  Genoese;  "  pay  him  respect."  I  ac- 
cordingly doffed  my  hat  and  cried,  "Sia 
alkheir  a  sidi,^''  (Good  morning  my  lord,) 
"Are  you  Englishmans'?"  shouted  the  old 
grisly  giant.  "  Englishmans,  my  lord,"  I 
replied,  and,  advancing,  presented  him  my 
hand,  which  he  nearly  wrung  off  with  his  tre- 
mendous gripe.  The  other  Moor  now  ad- 
dressed me  in  a  jargon  composed  of  English, 
Spanish,  and  Arabic.  A  queer  looking  per- 
sonage was  he  also,  but  very  different  in  most 
respects  from  his  companion,  being  shorter  by 
a  head  at  least,  and  less  complete  by  one  eye, 
for  the  left  orb  of  vision  was  closed,  leaving 
him,  as  the  Spaniards  style  it,  tuerto  ,•  he, 
however,  far  outshone  the  other  in  cleanliness 
of  turban,  haik,  and  trousers.  From  what  he 
jabbered  to  me,  I  collected  that  he  was  the 
English  consul's  mahasni  or  soldier;  that  the 
consul,  being  aware  of  my  arrival,  had  de- 
spatched him  to  conduct  me  to  his  house.  He 
then  motioned  me  to  follow  him,  which  I  did, 
the  old  port  captain  attending  us  to  the  gate, 
when  he  turned  aside  into  a  building,  which  i 
judged  to  be  a  kind  of  custom-house  from  the 
bales  and  boxes  of  every  description  piled  up 
before  it.  We  passed  the  gate  and  proceeded 
up  a  steep  and  winding  ascent;  on  our  left 
was  a  battery  full  of  guns,  pointing  to  the  sea, 
and  on  our  right  a  massive  wall,  seemingly 
in  part  cut  out  of  the  hill :  a  little  higher  up 
we  arrived  at  an  opening  where  stood  the 
mosque  which  1  have  already  mentioned.  As 
T  gazed  upon  the  tower  I  said  to  myself, 
"  Surely  we  have  here  a  younger  sister  of  the 
Giralda  of  Seville." 

I  know  not  whether  the  resemblance  between 


the  two  edifices  has  been  observed  by  any  other 
individual;  and  perhaps  there  are  those  who 
would  assert  that  no  resemblance  exists,  espe- 
cially if,  in  forming  an  opinion,  they  were 
much  swayed  by  size  and  colour :  the  hue  of 
the  Giralda  js  red,  or  rather  vermilion,  whilst 
that  which  predominates  in  the  Djmah  of 
Tangier  is  green,  the  bricks  of  which  it  is 
built  being  of  that  colour;  though  between 
them,  at  certain  intervals,  are  placed  others  of 
a  light  red  tinge,  so  that  the  tower  is  beauti- 
fully variegated.  With  respect  to  size,  stand- 
ing beside  the  giant  witch  of  Seville,  the 
Tangerine  Djmah  would  show  like  a  ten  year 
sapling  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cedar  of  Leba- 
non, whose  trunk  the  tempests  of  five  hundred 
years  have  worn.  And  yet  I  will  assert  that 
the  towers  in  other  respects  are  one  and  the 
same,  and  that  the  same  mind  and  the  same 
design  are  manifested  in  both ;  the  same  shape 
do  they  exhibit,  and  the  same  marks  have 
they  on  their  walls,  even  those  mysterious 
arches  graven  on  the  superfice  of  the  bricks, 
emblematic  of  I  know  not  what.  The  two 
structures  may,  without  any  violence,  be  said 
to  stand  in  the  same  relation  to  each  other  as 
the  ancient  and  modern  Moors.  The  Giralda 
is  the  world's  wonder,  and  the  old  Moor  was 
all  but  the  world's  conqueror.  The  modern 
Moor  is  scarcely  known,  and  who  ever  heard 
of  the  tower  of  Tangier?  Yet  examine  it 
attentively,  and  you  will  find  in  that  tower 
much,  very  much  to  admire,  and  certainly  if 
opportunity  enable  you  to  consider  the  modern 
Moor  as  minutely,  you  will  discover  in  him, 
and  in  his  actions,  amongst  much  that  is  wild, 
uncouth,  and  barbarous,  not  a  little  capable 
of  amply  rewarding  laborious  investigation. 

As  we  passed  the  mosque  I  stopped  for  a 
moment  before  the  door,  and  looked  in  upon 
the  interior:  I  saw  nothing  but  a  quadrangular 
court  paved  with  painted  tiles  and  exposed  to 
the  sky ;  on  all  sides  were  arched  piazzas,  and 
in  the  middle  was  a  fountain,  at  which  several 
Moors  were  performing  their  ablutions.  I 
looked  around  for  the  abominable  thing  and 
found  it  not;  no  scarlet  strumpetwithacrown 
of  false  gold  sat  nursing  ah  ugly  changeling 
in  a  niche.  "Come  here,"  said  I,  "papist, 
and  take  a  lesson ;  here  is  a  house  of  God,  in 
externals  at  least,  such  as  a  house  of  God 
should  be  :  four  walls,  a  fountain,  and  the 
eternal  firmament  above,  which  mirrors  his 
glory.  Dost  thou  build  such  houses  to  the 
God  who  has  said,  'Thou  shalt  make  to  thy- 
self no  graven  image'  ?  Fool,  thy  walls  are 
stuck  with  idols ;  thou  callest  a  stone  thy 
Father,  and  apiece  of  rotting  wood  the  Queen 
of  Heaven.  Fool,  thou  knowest  not  even  the 
Ancient  of  Days,  and  the  very  Moor  can  in 


224 


THE   BIBLE  IN   SPAIN, 


struct  thee.  He  at  least  knows  the  Ancient 
of  Days  who  has  said,  'Thou  shall  have  no 
other  Gods  but  me.'" 

And  as  I  said  these  words,  I  heard  a  cry 
like  the  roaring  of  a  lion,  and  an  awful  voice 
in  the  distance  exclaim,  '■'■  Kapul  Udbagh^'' 
(there  is  no  God  but  one). 

We  now  turned  to  the  left  through  a  passage 
which  passed  under  the  tower,  and  had  scarce- 
ly proceeded  a  iew  steps,  when  I  heard  a  pro- 
digious hubbub  of  infantine  voices  :  I  listened 
for  a  moment,  and  distinguished  verses  of  the 
Koran  ;  it  was  a  school.  Another  lesson  for 
thee,  papist.  Thou  callest  thyself  a  Christian, 
yet  the  book  of  Christ  thou  persecutes!;  thou 
huntestiteventothe  sea-shore, compelling  it  to 
seek  refuge  upon  the  billows  of  the  sea.  Fool, 
Jearn  a  lesson  from  the  Moor,  who  teaches  his 
child  to  repeat  with  its  first  accents  the  most 
important  portions  of  the  book  of  his  law,  and 
considers  himself  wise  or  foolish,  according  as 
he  is  versed  in  or  ignorant  of  that  book  ;  whilst 
thou,  blind  slave,  knowest  not  what  the  book 
of  thy  own  law  contains,  nor  wishest  to  know  : 
yet  art  thou  not  to  be  judged  by  thy  own  law  1 
Jdolmonger,  learn  consistency  from  the  Moor; 
he  says  that  he  shall  be  judged  after  his  own 
law,  and  therefore  he  prizes  and  gets  by  heart 
the  entire  book  of  his  law. 

We  were  now  at  the  cousul's  house,  a  large 
roomy  habitation,  built  in  the  English  style. 
The  soldier  led  me  through  a  court  into  a  large 
hall  hung  with  the  skins  of  all  kinds  of  fero- 
cious animals,  from  the  kingly  lion  to  the 
snarling  jackall.  Here  I  was  received  by  a 
Jew  domestic,  who  conducted  me  at  once  to 
the  consul,  who  was  in  his  library.  He  re- 
ceived me  with  the  utmost  frankness  and 
genuine  kindness,  and  informed  me  that, 
having  received  a  letter  from  his  excellent 
friend  Mr.  B.,  in  which  I  was  strongly  recom- 
mended, he  had  already  engaged  me  a  lodging 
in  the  house  of  a  Spanish  woman,  who  was, 
however,  a  British  subject,  and  with  whom 
he  believed  that  I  should  find  myself  as  com- 
fortable as  it  was  possible  to  be  in  such  a 
place  as  Tangier.  He  then  enquired,  if  I  had 
any  particular  motive  for  visiting  the  place, 
and  I  informed  him  without  hesitation  that  I 
came  with  the  intention  of  distributing  a  cer- 
tain number  of  copies  of  the  New  Testament 
in  the  Spanish  language  amongst  the  Christian 
residents  of  the  place.  He  smiled,  and  advised 
me  to  proceed  with  considerable  caution, 
which  I  promised  to  do.  We  then  discoursed 
on  other  subjects,  and  it  was  not  long  before  I 
perceived  that  I  was  in  the  company  of  a  most 
accomplished  scholar,  especially  in  the  Greek 
and  Latin  classics ;  he  appeared  likewise  to 
be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  Barbary 
empire  and  with  the  Moorish  character. 

After  half  an  hour's  conversation,  exceed- 
ingly agreeable  and  instructive  to  myself,  I 
expressed  a  wish  to  proceed  to  my  lodging; 
whereupon  he  rung  the  bell,  and  the  same 
Jewish  domestic  entering  who  had  introduced 
rae,  he  said  to  him,  in  the  English  language, 
"Take  this  gentleman  to  the  house  of  Joanna 
Correa,  the  Mahonese  widow,  and  enjoin  her, 


in  my  name,  to  take  care  of  him  and  attend  t<j 
his  comforts;  by  doing  which  she  will  con- 
firm me  in  the  good  opinion  whicli  I  at  present 
entertain  of  her,  and  will  increase  my  disposi- 
tion to  befriend  her." 

So,  attended  by  the  Jew,  I  now  bent  my 
steps  to  the  lodging  prepared  for  me.  Having, 
ascended  the  street  in  which  the  house  of  the 
consul  wassituated,  we  entered  a  small  square 
which  stands  about  half  way  up  the  hill. 
This,  my  companion  informed  me,  was  tlie 
soe,  or  market-place.  A  curious  spectacle 
here  presented  itself.  All  round  the  square 
were  small  wooden  booths,  which  very  much 
resembled  large  boxes  turned  on  their  sides, 
the  lid  being  supported  above  by  a  string. 
Before  each  of  these  boxes  was  a  species  of 
counter,  or  rather  one  long  counter  ran  in  front 
o'  the  whole  line,  upon  which  were  raisins, 
dates,  and  small  barrels  of  sugar,  soap,  and 
butter,  and  various  other  articles.  Within 
each  box,  in  front  of  the  counter,  and  about 
three  feet  from  the  ground,  sat  a  human  being, 
with  a  blanket  on  its  shoulders,  a  dirty  tuiban 
on  its  head,  and  ragged  trousers,  which  de- 
scended as  far  as  the  knee,  though  in  some 
instances  I  believe  these  were  entirely  dis- 
pensed with.  In  its  hand  it  held  a  stick,  to 
the  end  of  which  was  affixed  a  bunch  of  palm 
leaves,  which  it  waved  incessantly  as  a  fan, 
for  the  purpose  of  scaring  from  its  goods  the 
million  flies  which,  engendered  by  the  Barbary 
sun,  endeavoured  to  settle  upon  them.  Be- 
hind it,  and  on  either  side,  were  piles  of  the 
same  kind  of  goods.  Shrit  hinai,  shrit  hinai, 
(buy  here,  buy  here,)  was  continually  pro- 
ceeding from  its  mouth.  Such  are  the  grocers 
of  Tangier,  such  their  shops. 

In  the  middle  of  the  soc,  upon  thn  stones, 
were  pyramids  of  melons  and  sandias,  (the 
water  species,)  and  also  baskets  filled  with 
other  kinds  of  fruit,  exposed  for  sale,  whilst 
round  cakes  of  bread  were  lying  here  and  there 
upon  the  stones,  beside  which  sat  on  their 
hams  the  wildest  looking  beings  that  the 
most  extravagant  imagination  ever  conceived, 
the  head  covered  with  an  enormous  straw  hat, 
at  least  two  yards  in  circumference,  the  eaves 
of  which,  flapping  down,  completely  con- 
cealed the  face,  whilst  the  form  was  swathed 
in  a  blanket,  from  which  occasionally  were 
thrust  skinny  arms  and  fingers.  These  were 
Moorish  women,  who  were,  1  believe,  in  all 
instances,  old  and  ugly,  judging  from  the 
countenances  of  which  I  caught  a  glimpse  as 
they  lifted  the  eaves  of  their  hats  to  gaze  on 
me  as  I  passed,  or  to  curse  me  for  stamping 
on  their  bread.  The  whole  soc  was  full  of 
people,  and  there  was  abundance  of  bustle, 
screaming,  and  vociferation,  and  as  the  sim, 
though  the  hour  was  still  early,  was  shining 
with  the  greatest  brilliancy,  I  thought  that  I 
had  scarcely  ever  witnessed  a  livelier  scene. 

Crossing  the  soc,  we  entered  a  narrow 
street  with  the  same  kind  of  box-shops  on 
each  side,  some  of  which,  however,  were 
either  unoccupied  or  not  yet  opened,  the  lid 
being  closed.  We  almost  immediately  turned 
to  the  left,  up  a  street  somewhat  similar,  and 


THE  BIBLE  IN   SPAIN. 


225 


my  guide  presently  entered  the  door  of  a  low  I  she  was  likewise  in  partnership  in  the  sale  of 


house,  which  stood  at  the  corner  of  a  little 
alley,  and  which  he  informed  me  was  the 
abode  of  Joanna  Correa.  We  soon  stood  in 
the  midst  of  this  habitation.  I  say  the  midst, 
as  all  the  Moorish  houses  are  built  with  a 
small  court  in  the  middle.  This  one  was  not 
more  than  ten  feet  square.  It  was  open  at  the 
top,  and  around  it  on  three  sides  were  apart- 
ments; on  the  fourth  a  small  staircase,  which 
communicated  with  the  upper  story,  half 
of  which  consisted  of  a  terrace  looking  down 
into  the  court,  over  the  low  walls  of  which 
you  enjoyed  a  prospect  of  the  sea  and  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  town.  The  rest  of  the 
story  was  taken  up  by  a  lon^  room,  destined 
for  myself,  and  which  opened  upon  the  terrace 
by  a  pair  of  folding-doors.  At  either  end  of 
this  apartment  stood  a  bed,  extending  trans- 
versely from  wall  to  wall,  the  canopy  touching 
the  ceiling.  A  table  and  two  or  three  chairs 
completed  the  furniture. 

I  was  so  occupied  in  inspecting  the  house 
of  Joanna  Correa,  that  at  first  I  paid  little  at- 
tention to  the  lady  herself.  She  now,  how- 
ever, came  up  upon  the  terrace  where  my 
guide  and  myself  were  standing.  She  was 
a  woman  about  five  and  forty,  with  regular 
features,  which  had  once  been  handsome,  but 
had  received  considerable  injury  from  time, 
and  perhaps  more  from  trouble.  Two  of  her 
front  teeth  had  disappeared,  but  she  still  had 
fine  black  hair.  As  I  looked  upon  her  coun- 
tenance, I  said  within  myself,  if  there  be  truth 
in  physiognomy,  thou  art  good  and  gentle,  0 
Joanna ;  and,  indeed,  the  kindness  I  experi- 
enced from  her  during  the  six  weeks  which  I 
«pent  beneath  her  roof  would  have  made  me 
a  convert  to  that  science  had  I  doubted  it  be- 
fore. I  believe  no  warmer  and  more  affection- 
ate heart  ever  beat  in  human  bosom  than  in 
that  of  Joanna  Correa,  the  Mahonese  widow, 
and  it  was  indexed  by  features  beaming  with 
benevolence  and  good  nature,  though  some- 
what clouded  with  melancholy. 

She  informed  me  that  she  had  been  married 
to  a  Genoese,  the  master  of  a  felouk  which 
passed  between  Gibraltar  and  Tangier,  who 
had  been  dead  about  four  years,  leaving  her 
v/ith  a  family  of  four  children,  the  eldest  of 
which  was  a  lad  of  thirteen ;  that  she  had  ex- 
perienced great  difficulty  in  providing  for  her 
family  and  herself  since  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, but  that  Providence  had  raised  her  up 
a  few  excellent  friends,  especially  the  British 
consul ;  that  besides  letting  lodgings  to  such 
travellers  as  myself,  she  made  bread  which 
was  in  high  esteem  with  the  Moors,  and  that 
29 


liquors  with  an  old  Genoese.  She  added, 
that  this  last  person  lived  below  in  one  of  the 
apartments;  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  abili- 
ty and  much  learning,  but  that  she  believed 
he  was  occasionally  somewhat  touched  here, 
pointing  with  her  finger  to  her  forehead,  and 
she  thererore  hoped  that  I  would  not  be  of- 
fended at  any  thing  extraordinary  in  his  lan- 
guage or  behaviour.  She  then  left  me,  as  she 
said,  to  give  orders  for  my  breakfast ;  where- 
upon the  Jewish  domestic,  who  had  accom- 
panied me  from  the  consul,  finding  that  I  was 
established  in  the  house,  departed. 

I  speedily  sat  down  to  breakfast  in  an 
apartment  on  the  left  side  of  the  little  wus- 
tuddur;  the  fare  was  excellent:  tea,  fried 
fish,  eggs, and  grapes,  not  forgetting  the  cele- 
brated bread  of  Joanna  Correa.  I  was  waited 
upon  by  a  tall  Jewish  youth  of  about  twenty 
years,  who  informed  me  that  his  name  was 
Haim  Ben  Atar,  that  he  was  a  native  of  Fez, 
from  whence  his  parents  brought  him  at  a  very 
early  age  to  Tangier,  where  he  had  passed  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  principally  in  the  ser- 
vice of  Joanna  Correa,  waiting  upon  those 
who,  like  myself,  lodged  in  the  house.  I  had 
completed  my  meal,  and  was  seated  in  the 
little  court,  when  I  heard  in  the  apartment 
opposite  to  that  in  which  I  had  breakfasted 
several  sighs,  which  were  succeeded  by  as 
many  groans,  and  then  came  "Ave  Maria, 
gratia  plena,  ora  pro  me,"  and  finally  a  croak- 
ing voice  chanted : — 

"  Gentem  auferte  perfidam 
Credentium  de  nnibus, 
Ut  Christo  laudes  debitas 
Persoivamus  alacriter." 

"That  is  the  old  Genoese,"  whispered 
Haim  Ben  Atar,  "  praying  to  his  God,  which 
he  always  does  with  particular  devotion  when 
he  happens  to  have  gone  to  bed  the  preceding 
evening  rather  in  liquor.  He  has  in  his  room 
a  picture  of  Maria  Buckra,  before  which  he 
generally  burns  a  taper,  and  on  her  account 
he  will  never  permit  me  to  enter  his  apart- 
ment. He  once  caught  me  looking  at  her, 
and  1  thought  he  would  have  killed  me,  and 
since  then  he  always  keeps  his  chamber  lock- 
ed, and  carries  the  key  in  his  pocket  when  he 
goes  out.  He  hates  both  Jew  and  Moor,  and 
says  that  he  is  now  living  amongst  them  for 
his  sins." 

"  They  do  not  place  tapers  before  pictures," 
said  I,  and  strolled  forth  to  see  the  wonders 
of  the  land. 


336 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  LVI. 


The  Mahasni — Sin  Samani — The  Bazaar — Moorish  Saints — See  the  Ayana ! — The  Prickly  Fig- 
Jewish  Graves — The  place  of  Carcases — The  Stable  Boy — Horses  of  the  Moslem — Dar  Dwag. 


I  WAS  standing  in  the  market-place,  a  spec- 
tator of  much  the  same  scene  as  I  have  already 
described,  when  a  Moor  came  up  to  me  and 
attempted  to  utter  a  few  words  in  Spanish. 
He  was  a  tall  elderly  man,  with  sharp  but 
rather  whimsical  features,  and  might  have 
been  called  good  looking,  had  he  not  been 
one-eyed,  a  very  common  deformity  in  this 
country.  His  body  was  swathed  in  an  im- 
mense haik.  Finding  that  I  could  understand 
Moorish,  he  instantly  began  talking  with  im- 
mense volubility,  and  I  soon  learnt  that  he 
was  a  Mahasni.  He  expatiated  diffusely  on 
the  beauties  of  Tangier,  of  which  he  said  he 
was  a  native,  and  at  last  exclaimed,  "  Come, 
my  sultan,  come,  my  lord,  and  I  will  show 
you  many  things  which  will  gladden  your 
eyes,  and  fill  your  heart  with  sunshine;  it 
were  a  shame  in  me  to  have  the  advantage  of 
being  a  son  of  Tangier,  to  permit  a  stranger, 
who  comes  from  an  island  in  the  great  sea,  as 
you  tell  me  you  do,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing 
this  blessed  land,  to  stand  here  in  the  soc 
with  no  one  to  guide  him.  By  Allah,  it  shall 
not  be  so.  ISIake  room  for  my  sultan,  make 
room  for  my  lord,"  he  continued,  pushing  his 
way  through  a  crowd  of  men  and  children 
who  had  gathered  round  us ;  "  it  is  his  high- 
ness' pleasure  to  go  with  me.  This  way,  my 
lord,  this  way ;"  and  he  led  the  way  np  the 
hill,  walking  at  a  tremendous  rate  and  talking 
still  faster,  "  This  street,"  said  he,  "  is  the 
Siarrin,  and  its  like  is  not  to  be  found  in  Tan- 
gier; observe  how  broad  it  is,  even  half  the 
breadth  of  the  soc  itself;  here  are  the  shops 
of  the  most  considerable  merchants,  where  are 
sold  precious  articles  of  all  kinds.  Observe 
those  two  men,  they  are  Algerines  and  good 
Moslems  ;  they  fled  frotn  Zair  {Algiers)  when 
the  Nazarenes  conquered  it,not  by  force  of  fight- 
ing, not  by  valour,as  you  may  well  suppose,  but 
by  gold ;  the  Nazarenes  only  conquer  by  gold. 
The  Moor  is  good,  the  Moor  is  strong,  who 
80  good  and  strong?  but  he  fights  not  with 
gold,  and  therefore  he  lost  Zair. 

"Observe  you  those  men  seated  on  the 
benches  by  those  portals ;  they  are  Mahasniah, 
they  are  my  brethren.  See  their  haiks  how 
white,  see  their  turbans  how  white.  O  that 
you  could  see  their  swords  in  the  day  of  war, 
for  bright,  bright  af  e  their  swords.  Now  they 
bear  no  swords.  Wherefore  should  they  ?  is 
there  not  peace  in  the  land]  See  you  him  in  the 
shop  opposite  ?  That  is  the  Pasha  of  Tan- 
gier, that  is  the  Hamed  Sin  Samani,  the  un- 
der Pasha  of  Tangier;  the  elder  Pasha,  my 
lord,  is  away  on  a  journey;  may  Allah  send 
him  a  safe  return.  Yes,  that  is  Hamed ;  he 
sits  in  his  hanutz  as  were  he  nought  more 
than  a  merchant,  yet  life  and  death  are  in  his 
hands.  There  he  dispenses  justice,  even  as 
he  dispenses  the  essence  of  the  rose  and  cochi- 


neal, and  powder  of  cannon  and  sulphur;  and 
those  two  last  he  sells  on  the  account  of  Ab- 
derahman,  my  lord  and  sultan,  for  none  can 
sell  powder  and  the  sulphur  dust  in  his  land 
but  the  sultan.  Should  you  wish  to  purchase 
atar  del  nuar,  should  you  wish  to  purchase 
the  essence  of  the  rose,  you  must  go  to  the 
hanutz  of  Sin  Samani,  for  there  only  you  will 
get  it  pure  ;  you  must  receive  it  from  no  com- 
mon Moor,  but  only  from  Hamed.  May 
Allah  bless  Hamed.  The  Mahasniah,  my 
brethren,  wait  to  do  his  orders,  for  wherever 
sits  the  Pasha,  there  i-s  a  hall  of  judgment. — 
See,  now  we  are  opposite  the  bazaar;  beneath 
yon  gate  is  the  court  of  the  bazaar;  what 
will  you  not  find  in  that  bazaar?  Silks 
from  Fez  you  will  find  there ;  and  if  you  wish 
for  sibat,  if  you  wish  for  slippers  for  your 
feet,  you  must  seek  them  there,  and  there  also 
are  sold  curious  things  from  the  towns  of  the 
Nazarenes.  Those  large  houses  on  our  left 
are  habitations  of  Nazarene  consuls;  you 
have  seen  many  such  in  your  own  land,  there- 
fore why  should  you  stay  to  look  at  them  1 
Do  you  not  admire  this  street  of  the  Siarrin  T 
Whatever  enters  or  goes  out  of  Tangier  by 
the  land  passes  through  this  street.  Oh,  the 
riches  that  pass  through  this  street!  Behold 
those  camels,  what  a  long  train;  twenty, 
thirty,  a  whole  cafila  descending  the  street. 
Wullah !  I  know  those  camels,  I  know  the 
driver.  Good  day,  O  Sidi  Hassim,  in  how 
many  days  from  Fez  ?  And  now  we  are  ar- 
rived at  the  wall,  and  we  must  pass  under 
this  gate.  This  gate  is  called  Bab  del  Faz ; 
we  are  now  in  the  Soc  de  Barra." 

The  Soc  de  Barra  is  an  open  place  beyond 
the  upper  wall  of  Tangier,  on  the  side  of  the 
hill.  The  ground  is  irregular  and  steep ;  there 
are,  however,  some  tolerably  level  spots.  In 
this  place,  every  Thursday  and  Sunday  morn- 
ing, a  species  of  mart  is  held,  on  which  ac- 
count it  is  called  Soc  de  Barra,  or  the  outward 
market-place.  Here  and  there,  near  the  town 
ditch,  are  subterranean  pits  with  small  ori- 
fices, about  the  circumference  of  a  chimney, 
which  are  generally  covered  with  a  large 
stone,  or  stuffed  with  straw.  These  pits  are 
granaries,  in  which  wheat,  barley,  and  other 
species  of  grain  intended  for  sale  are  stored. 
On  one  side  are  two  or  three  rude  huts,  or 
rather  sheds,  beneath  which  keep  watch  the 
guardians  of  the  com.  It  is  very  dangerous 
to  pass  over  this  hill  at  night,  after  the  town 
gates  are  closed,  as  at  that  time  numerous 
large  and  ferocious  dogs  are  let  loose,  who 
would  to  a  certainty  pull  down,  and  perhaps 
destroy,  any  stranger  who  should  draw  nigh. 
Half  way  up  the  hill  are  seen  four  white 
walls,  inclosing  a  spot  about  ten  feet  square, 
where  rest  the  bones  of  Sidi  Mokhfidh,  a  saint 
of  celebrity,  who  died  some  fifteen  years  ago. 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


227 


Here  terminates  the  soc ;  the  remainder  of  the 
hill  is  called  El  Kawar,  or  the  place  of  grrayes, 
being  the  common  burying  ground  of  Tangier ; 
the  resting  places  of  the  dead  are  severally 
distinguished  by  a  few  stones  arranged  so  as 
to  form  an  oblong  circle.  Near  Mokhfidh 
sleeps  Sidi  Gali ;  hut  the  principal  saint  of 
I  Tangier  lies  interred  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  in 
F  the  centre  of  a  small  plain.  A  beautiful  \ 
chapel  or  mosque,  with  vaulted  roof,  is  erect-  j 
ed  there  in  his  honour,  which  is  in  general  i 
adorned  with  banners  of  various  dyes.  The 
name  of  this  saint  is  Mohammed  el  Hadge, 
and  his  memory  is  held  in  the  utmost  venera- 
tion in  Tangier  and  its  vicinity.  His  death 
occurred  at  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century. 

These  details  I  either  gathered  at  the  time 
or  on  subsequent  occasions.  On  the  north 
side  of  the  soc,  close  by  the  town,  is  a  wall 
with  a  gate.    *'  Come,"  said  the  old  Mahasni, 

fiving  a  flourish  with  his  hand  ;  "come,  and 
will  show  you  the  garden  of  a  Nazarene 
consul."  I  followed  him  through  the  gate, 
and  found  myself  in  a  spacious  garden,  laid 
out  in  the  European  taste,  and  planted  with 
lemon  and  pear  trees,  and  various  kinds  of 
aromatic  shrubs.  It  was,  however,  evident 
that  the  owner  chiefly  prided  himself  on  his 
flowers,  of  which  there  were  numerous  beds. 
There  was  a  handsome  summer-house,  and 
art  seemed  to  have  exhausted  itself  in  making 
the  place  complete. 

One  thing  was  wanting,  and  its  absence 
was  strangely  remarkable  in  a  garden  at  this 
time  of  the  year ;  scarcely  a  leaf  was  to  be 
seen.  The  direst  of  all  the  plagues  which 
devastated  Egypt  was  now  busy  in  this  part 
of  Africa — the  locust  was  at  work,  and  in 
no  place  more  fiercely  than  in  the  particular 
spot  where  I  was  now  standing.  All  around 
looked  blasted.  The  trees  were  brown  and 
bald  as  in  winter.  Nothing  was  green  save 
the  fruits,  especially  the  grapes,  huge  clusters 
of  which  were  depending  from  the  "parras;" 
for  the  locust  touches  not  the  fruit  whilst  a 
single  leaf  remains  to  be  devoured.  As  we 
passed  along  the  walks  these  horrible  insects 
flew  against  us  in  every  direction,  and  perish- 
ed by  hundreds  beneath  our  feet.  "See  the 
ayanas,"  said  the  old  Mahasni,  "and  hear 
them  eating.  Powerful  is  the  ayana,  more 
powerful  than  the  sultan  or  the  consul. 
Should  the  sultan  send  all  his  mahasniah 
against  the  ayana,  should  he  send  me  with 
them,  the  ayana  would  say,  '  Ha !  ha  I'  Pow- 
erful is  the  ayana  I  He  fears  not  the  consul. 
A  few  weeks  ago  the  consul  said,  'I  am 
stronger  than  the  ayana,  and  I  will  extirpate 
him  from  the  land.'  So  he  shouted  through 
the  city,  '  O  Tangerines !  speed  forth  to  fight 
the  ayana,— destroy  him  in  the  egg;  for 
know,  that  whosoever  shall  bring  me  one 
pound  weight  of  the  eggs  of  the  ayana,  unto 
him  will  1  give  five  reals  of  Spain;  there 
shall  be  no  ayanas  this  year.'  So  all  Tangier 
rushed  forth  to  fight  the  ayana,  and  to  collect 
the  eggs  which  Ihe  ayana  had  laid  to  hatch 
beneath  the  sand  on  the  sides  of  the  hills, 
and  in  the  roads,  and  in  the  plains.    And  my 


own  child,  who  is  seven  years  old,  went  forth 
to  fight  the  ayana,  and  he  alone  collectprj  eggs 
to  the  weight  of  five  pounds,  eggs  which  the 
ayana  had  placed  beneath  the  sand,  and  he 
carried  them  to  the  consul,  and  the  consul 
paid  the  price.  And  hundreds  carried  eggs 
to  the  consul,  more  or  less,  and  the  consul 
paid  them  the  price,  and  in  less  than  three 
days  the  treasure  chest  of  the  consul  was 
exhausted.  And  then  he  cried,  'Desist,  O 
Tangerines !  perhaps  we  have  destroyed  the 
ayana,  perhaps  we  have  destroyed  them  all.' 
Ha!  ha!  Look  around  you,  and  beneath 
you,  and  above  you,  and  tell  me  whether  the 
consul  has  destroyed  the  ayana.  Oh,  power- 
ful is  the  ayana  I  More  powerful  than  the 
consul,  more  powerful  than  the  sultan  and  all 
his  armies." 

It  will  be  as  well  to  observe  here,  that 
within  a  week  from  this  time  all  the  locusts 
had  disappeared,  no  one  knew  how,  only  a 
few  stragglers  remained.  But  for  this  provi- 
dential deliverance,  the  fields  and  gardens  in 
the  vicinity  of  Tangier  would  have  been  to- 
tally devastated.  These  insects  were  of  an 
immense  size,  and  of  a  loathly  aspect. 

We  now  passed  over  the  soc  to  the  opposite 
side,  where  stand  the  huts  of  the  guardians. 
Here  a  species  of  lane  presents  itself,  which 
descends  to  the  sea-shore;  it  is  deep  and 
precipitous,  and  resembles  a  gully  or  ravine. 
The  banks  on  either  side  are  covered  with 
the  tree  which  bears  the  prickly  fig,  called  in 
Moonsh,  Kermous  del  Inde.  There  is  some- 
thing wild  and  grotesque  in  the  appearance 
of  this  tree  or  plant,  for  1  know  not  which  to 
call  it.  Its  stem,  though  frequently  of  the 
thickness  of  a  man's  body,  has  no  head,  but 
divides  itself,  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
ground,  into  many  crooked  branches,  which 
shoot  in  all  directions,  and  bear  green  and 
uncouth  leaves,  about  half  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness, and  which,  if  they  resemble  any  thing, 
present  the  appearance  of  the  fore  fins  of  a 
seal,  and  consist  of  multitudinous  fibres. 
The  fruit,  which  somewhat  resembles  a  pear, 
has  a  rough  tegument  covered  with  minute 
prickles,  which  instantly  enter  the  hand  which 
touches  them,  however  slightly,  and  are  very 
diflicult  to  extract.  I  never  remember  to  have 
seen  vegetation  in  ranker  luxiTriance  than  that 
which  these  fig-trees  exhibited,  nor  upon  the 
whole  a  more  singular  spot.  "  Follow  me," 
said  the  Mahasni,  "and  I  will  show  you 
something  which  you  will  like  to  see."  So 
he  turned  to  the  left,  leading  the  way  by  a 
narrow  path  up  the  steep  bank,  till  we  reach- 
ed the  summit  of  a  hillock,  separated  by  a 
deep  ditch  from  the  wall  of  Tangier.  The 
ground  was  thickly  covered  with  the  trees 
already  described,  which  spread  their  strange 
arms  along  the  surface,  and  whose  thick 
leaves  crushed  beneath  our  feet  as  we  walked 
along.  Amongst  them  I  observed  a  large 
number  of  stone  slabs  lying  horizontally; 
they  were  rudely  scrawled  over  with  odd 
characters,  which  I  stooped  down  to  inspect. 
"  Are  you  Talib  enough  to  read  those  signs  1" 
exclaimed  the  old  Moor.  "They  are  letters 
of  the  accursed  Jews ;  this  is  their  mearrah, 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


as  they  call  it,  and  here  they  inter  their  dead.  ]  of  the  animals.  My  sultan  has  seen  the  kawar 
Fools,  they  trust  in  Muza,  when  they  mig-ht  of  the  Moslems  and  the  mearrah  of  the  Jews; 
aelieve  in  Mohammed,  and  therefore  their  and  he  sees  here  the  kawar  of  the  animals, 
dead  shall  hum  everlastingly  in  Jehinnum.  |  All  the  animals  which  die  in  Tangier  by  the 
See,  my  sultan,  how  fat  is  the  soil  of  this  :  hand  of  God,  horse,  dog,  or  camel,  are  brought 
mearrah  of  the  Jews  ;  see  what  kermous  grow  to  this  spot,  and  here  they  putrefy  or  are 
here.  When  I  was  a  boy  I  often  came  to  the  j  devoured  by  the  birds  of  the  heaven  or  the 
mearrah  of  the  Jews  to  eat  kermous  in  the  [  wild  creatures  that  prowl  on  the  chali.  Come, 
season  of  their  ripeness.     The  Moslem  boys  i  my  sultan,  it  is  not  good  to  remain  long  ia 


of  Tangier  love  the  kermous  of  the  mearrah 
of  the  Jews;  but  the  Jews  will  not  gather 
them.  They  say  that  the  waters  of  the 
springs  which  nourish  the  roots  of  these  trees 
pass  among  the  bodies  of  their  dead,  and  for 
that  reason  it  is  an  abomination  to  taste  of 
these  fruits.  Be  this  true,  or  be  it  not,  one 
thing  is  certain,  in  whatever  manner  nourish- 
ed, good  are  the  kermous  which  grow  in  the 
mearrah  of  the  Jews." 

We  returned  to  the  lane  by  the  same  path 
by  which  we  had  come  :  as  we  were  descend- 
ing it  he  said,  "  Know,  my  sultan,  that  the 
name  of  the  place  where  we  now  are,  and 
which  you  say  you  like  much,  is  Dar  Sinah 
{thf.  house  of  the  trades.)  You  will  ask  me 
why  it  bears  that  name,  as  you  see  neither 
house  nor  man,  neither  Moslem,  Nazarene, 
nor  Jew,  only  our  two  selves ;  I  will  tell  you, 
my  sultan,  for  who  can  tell  you  better  than 
myself?  Learn,  I  pray  you,  that  Tangier  was 
not  always  what  it  is  now,  nor  did  it  occupy 
always  the  place  which  it  does  now.  It  stood 
yonder  (pointing  to  the  east)  on  those  hills 
above  the  shore,  and  ruins  of  houses  are  still 
to  be  seen  there,  and  the  spot  is  called  Old 
Tangier.  So  in  the  old  time,  as  I  have  heard 
say,  this  Dar  Sinah  was  a  street,  whether 
without  or  within  the  wall  matters  not,  and 
there  resided  men  of  all  trades ;  smiths  of  gold, 
and  silver,  and  iron,  and  tin,  and  artificers  of 
all  kindri:  you  had  only  to  go  to  the  Dar 
Sinah  if  you  wished  for  any  thing  wrought, 
and  there  instantly  you  would  find  a  master 
of  the  particular  craft.  My  sultan  tells  me  he 
likes  the  look  of  Dar  Sinah  at  the  present  day, 
truly  I  know  not  why,  especially  as  the  ker- 
mous are  not  yet  in  their  ripeness,  nor  fit  to 
eat.  If  he  likes  Dar  Sinah  now,  how  would 
my  sultan  have  liked  it  in  the  old  time,  when 
it  was  filled  with  gold  and  silver,  and  iron  and 
tin,  and  was  noisy  with  the  hammers,  and  the 
masters  and  the  cunning  men  1  We  are  now 
arrived  at  the  Chali  del  Bahar  (sea-shore.) 
Take  care,  my  sultan,  we  tread  upon  bones." 
We  had  emerged  from  the  Dar  Sinah,  and 
the  sea-shore  was  before  us  ;  on  a  sudden  we 
found  ourselves  amongst  a  multitude  of  bones 
of  all  kinds  of  animals,  and  seemingly  of  all 
dates;  some  being  blanched  with  time  and 
exposure  to  sun  and  wind,  whilst  to  others  the 
flesh  still  partly  clung ;  whole  carcases  were 
here,  horses,  asses,  and  even  the  uncouth  re- 
mains of  a  camel.     Gaunt  dogs  were  busy 


this  place." 

We  were  preparing  to  leave  the  spot,  when 
we  heard  a  galloping  down  the  Dar  Sinah, 
and  presently  a  horse  and  rider  darted  at  full 
speed  from  the  mouth  of  the  lane  and  appeared 
upon  the  strand  :  the  horseman,  when  he  saw 
us,  pulled  up  his  steed  with  much  difficulty, 
and  joined   us.     The  horse  was  small,   but 
beautiful,  a  sorrel  with  long  mane  and  tail ; 
had  he  been  hoodwinked  he  might  perhaps 
have  been  mistaken  for  a  Cordovese  jaca;  he 
was  broad-chested,  and   rotund  in  his  hind 
quarters,  and  possessed  much  of  the  plump- 
ness and   sleekness  which  distinguish   that 
breed,  but  looking  in  his  eyes  you  would 
have  been  undeceived  in  a  moment;  a  wild 
savage  fire  darted  from  the  restless  orbs,  and 
so  far  from  exhibiting  the  docility  of  the  other 
noble   and    loyal    animal,    he    occasionally 
plunged  desperately,  and  could  scarcely  be  re- 
strained by  a  strong  curb  and  powerful  arm 
from  resuming  his  former  headlong  course. 
The   rider    was  a  youth,  apparently  about 
eighteen,  dressed  as  a  European,  with  a  Mon- 
tero  cap  on  his   head ;  he   was   athletically 
built,  but  with  lengthy  limbs,  his  feet,  for  he 
rode  without  stirrips  or  saddle,  reached  almost 
to  the  ground ;  his  complexion  was  almost  as 
dark  as  that  of  a  Mulatto;  his  features  very 
handsome,  the  eyes  particularly  so,  but  filled 
with  an  expression  that  was  bold  and  bad ; 
and  there  was  a  disgusting  look  of  sensuality 
about  the  mouth.     He  addressed  a  few  words 
to  the  Mahasni,  with  whom  he  seemed  to  be 
well  acquainted,  inquiring  who  I  was.     The 
old  man  answered,  »'  O  Jew,  my  sultan  un- 
derstands our  speech,  thou  hadst  better  address 
thyself  to  him."     The  lad  then  spoke  to  me 
in  Arabic,  but  almost  instantly  dropping  that 
language,  proceeded  to  discourse  in  tolerable 
French.     "  I  suppose  you  are  French,"  said 
he  with  much  familiarity;  "shall  you  stay 
long  in  Tangier]"     Having  received  an  an- 
swer, he  proceeded,  '*  As  you  are  an  English- 
man, you  are  doubtless  fond  of  horses,  know, 
therefore,  whenever  you  are  disposed  for  a 
ride,  I  will  accompany  you  and  procure  you 
horses.     My  name  is  JEphraim  Fragey  :  I  am 
stable-boy  to    the  Neapolitan    consul,  who 
prizes  himself  upon  possessing  the  best  horses 
in  Tangier ;  you  shall  mount  any  you  please. 
Would  you  like  to  try  this  little  aoud  (stal' 
lion?^'')     I  thanked  him,  but  declined  his  offer 
for  the  present,  asking  him  at  the  same  time 


here,  growling,  tearing,  and  gnawing;  amongst  how  he  had  acquired  the  French  language, 
whom,  unintimidated,  stalked  the  carrion  vul-  and  why  he,  a  Jew,  did  not  appear  in  the 
ture,  fiercely  battening  and  even  disputing  I  dress  of  his  brethren  ]  "lam  in  the  service 
with  the  btutes  the  garbage ;  whilst  the  crow  of  a  consul,"  said  he,  "  and  my  master  obtain- 
hovered  overhead,  and  croaked  wistfully,  or  ed  permission  that  I  might  dress  myself  in 
occasionally  perched  upon  some  upturned  rib  |  this  manner;  and  as  to  speaking  French,  I 
bone.    "  See,"  said  the  Mahasni, "  the  kawar  have  been  to  Marseilles  and  Naples,  to  which 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


229 


last  place  I  conveyed  horses,  presents  from  the 
Sultan.  Besides  French,  1  can  speak  Italian. 
He  then  dismounted,  and  holding  the  horse 
firmly  by  the  bridle  with  one  hand,  proceeded 
to  undress  himself,  which  having  accomplish- 
ed, he  mounted  the  animal  and  rode  into  the 
water.  The  skin  of  his  body  was  much  akin 
in  colour  to  that  of  a  frog  or  toad,  but  the 
frame  was  that  of  a  young  Titan.  The  horse 
took  to  the  water  with  great  unwillingness, 
and  at  a  small  distance  from  the  shore  com- 
menced struggling  with  his  rider,  whom  he 
twice  dashed  from  his  back,  the  lad,  how- 
ever, clung  to  the  bridle,  and  detained  the 
animal.  All  his  efforts,  however,  being 
unavailing  to  ride  him  deeper  in,  he  fell  to 
washing  him  strenuously  with  his  hands,  then 
leading  him  out,  he  dressed  himself  and 
returned  by  the  way  he  came. 

"  Good  are  the  horses  of  the  Moslems,"  said 
my  old  friend,  where  will  you  find  such  1  They 
■will  descend  rocky  mountains  at  full  speed 
and  neither  trip  nor  fall;  but  you  must  be  cau- 
tious with  the  horses  of  the  Moslems,  and 
treat  them  with  kindness,  for  the  horses  of  the 
Moslems  are  proud,  and  they  like  not  being 
slaves.  When  they  are  young  and  first  mount- 
ed, jerk  not  their  mouths  with  your  bit,  for  be 
sure  if  you  do  they  will  kill  you ;  sooner  or 
later  you  will  perish  beneath  their  feet.  Good 
are  our  horses,  and  good  our  riders,  yea,  very . 
good  are  the  Moslems  at  mounting  the  horse; 
who  are  like  theml  I  once  saw  a  Frank 
rider  compete  with  a  Moslem  on  this  beach, 
and  at  first  the  Frank  rider  had  it  all  his  own 
way,  and  he  passed  the  Moslem,  but  the 
course  was  long,  very  long,  and  the  horse  of 
the  Frank  rider,  which  was  a  Frank  also, 
panted  ;  but  the  horse  of  the  Moslem  panted 
not,  for  he  was  a  Moslem  also,  and  the  Mos- 
lem rider  at  last  gave  a  cry  and  the  horse 
sprang  forward  and  he  overtook  the  Frank 
horse,  and  then  the  Moslem  rider  stood  up  in 
his  saddle.  How  did  he  stand?  Truly  he 
stood  on  his  head,  and  these  eyes  saw  him  ; 
he  stood  on  his  head  in  the  saddle  as  he  passed 
the  Frank  rider ;  and  he  cried  ha !  ha !  as  he 
passed  the  Frank  rider;  and  the  Moslem  horse 
cried  ha!  ha!  as  he  passed  the  Frank  breed, 
and  the  Frank  lost  by  a  far  distance.  Good 
are  the  Franks  ;  good  their  horses ;  but  better 
are  the  Moslems,  and  better  the  horses  of  the 
Moslems." 

We  now  directed  our  steps  towards  the 
town,  but  not  by  the  path  we  came :  turning 


to  the  left  under  the  hill  of  the  mearrah,  and 
along  the  strand,  we  soon  came  to  a  rudely 
paved  way  with  a  steep  ascent,  which  wound 
beneath  the  wall  of  the  town  to  a  gate,  before 
which,  on  one  side,  were  various  little  pits 
like  graves,  filled  with  water  or  lime.  "  This 
is  Dar  Dwag,"  said  the  Mahasni;  "  this  is 
the  house  of  the  bark,  and  to  this  house  are 
brought  the  hides;  all  those  which  are  pre- 
pared for  use  in  Tangier  are  broight  to  this 
house,  and  here  they  are  cured  with  lime,  and 
bran,  and  bark,  and  herbs.  And  in  this  Dar 
Dwag  there  are  one  hundred  and  forty  pits  ; 
I  have  counted  them  myself;  and  there  were 
more  which  have  now  ceased  to  be,  for  the 
place  is  very  ancient.  And  these  pits  are 
hired  not  by  one,  nor  by  two,  but  by  many 
people,  and  whosoever  list  can  rent  one  of 
these  pits  and  cure  the  hides  which  he  may 
need ;  but  the  owner  of  all  is  one  man,  and 
his  name  is  Cado  Ableque.  And  now  my 
sultan  has  seen  the  house  of  the  bark,  and  I 
will  shew  him  nothing  more  this  day;  for  to- 
day is  Youm  al  Jumal  (^Friday),  and  the  gates 
will  be  presently  shut  whilst  the  moslems  per- 
form their  devotions.  So  I  will  accompany 
my  sultan  to  the  guest  house,  and  there  I  will 
leave  him  for  the  present." 

We  accordingly  passed  through  a  gate,  and 
ascending  a  street  found  ourselves  before  the 
mosque  where  I  had  stood  in  the  morning; 
in  another  minute  or  two  we  were  at  the  door 
of  Joanna  Correa.  I  now  offered  my  kind 
guide  a  piece  of  silver  as  a  remuneration  for 
his  trouble,  whereupon  he  drew  himself  up 
and  said : — 

"The  silver  of  my  sultan  1  will  not  take, 
for  I  consider  that  I  have  done  nothing  to  de- 
serve it.  We  have  not  yet  visited  all  the 
wonderful  things  of  this  blessed  town.  On  a 
future  day  I  will  conduct  my  sultan  to  the 
castle  of  the  governor,  and  to  other  places 
which  my  sultan  will  be  glad  to  see;  and 
when  we  have  seen  all  we  can,  and  my  sultan 
is  content  with  me,  if  at  any  time  he  see  me 
in  the  soc  of  a  morning,  with  my  basket  in 
my  hand,  and  he  see  nothing  in  that  basket, 
then  is  my  sultan  at  liberty  as  a  friend  io  put 
grapes  in  my  basket,  or  bread  in  my  basket, 
or  fish  or  meat  in  my  basket.  That  will  I  not 
refuse  of  my  sultan,  when  I  shall  have  done 
more  for  him  than  I  have  now.  But  the  sil- 
ver of  my  sultan  will  I  not  take  now  nor  at 
any  time."  He  then  waved  his  hand  gently 
and  departed. 


i 


CHAPTER  LVII. 

Strange  Trio— The  Mulatto— The  Peace-Offering— Moors  of  Gjanada— Vive  la  Guadeloupe— The 
Moors — Pascual  Fava — Blind  Algerine — Tlie  Retreat. 


Three  men  were  seated  in  the  wustuddur 
of  Joanna  Correa,  when  I  entered ;  singular 
looking  men  they  all  were,  though  perhaps 
three  were  never  gathered  together  more  un- 
like to  each  other  in  all  points.    The  first  on 


whom  I  cast  my  eye  was  a  man  about  sixty, 
dressed  in  a  grey  kerseymere  coat  with  short 
lappets,  yellow  waistcoat,  and  wide  coarse 
canvass  trousers ;  upon  his  head  was  a  very 
broad  dirty  straw  hat,  and  in  his  hand  he  held 


230 


THE    BIBLE   IN    SPAIN. 


a  tnick  cane  with  ivory  handle;  his  eyes  were 
bleared  and  squinting,  his  face  rubicund,  and 
his  nose  much  carbuncled.  Beside  him  sat  a 
good  looking  black,  who  perhaps  appeared 
more  negro  than  he  really  was,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  his  being  dressed  in  spotless 
white  jean — ^jerkin,  waistcoat,  and  pantaloons 
beinc  all  of  that  material:  his  head  gear  con- 
sisted of  a  blue  Montero  cap.  His  eyes 
sparkled  like  diamonds,  and  there  was  an 
indescribable  expression  of  good  humour  and 
fun  upon  his  countenance.  The  third  man 
was  a  Mulatto,  and  by  far  the  most  remarka- 
ble personage  of  the  group :  he  might  be  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty;  his  body  was  very 
long,  and  though  uncouthly  put  together,  ex- 
hibited every  mark  of  strength  and  vigour; 
it  was  cased  in  a  ferioul  of  red  wool,  a  kind 
of  garment  which  descends  below  the  hips. 
His  long  muscular  and  hairy  arms  were  naked 
from  the  elbow,  where  the  sleeves  of  the  fe- 
rioul terminate;  his  under  limbs  were  short  in 
comparison  with  his  body  and  arms ;  his  legs 
were  bare,  but  he  wore  blue  kandrisa  as  far 
as  the  knee;  every  feature  of  his  face  was 
ugly,  exceedingly  and  bitterly  ugly,  and 
one  of  his  eyes  was  sightless,  being  covered 
•with  a  white  film.  By  his  side  on  the 
ground  was  a  large  barrel,  seemingly  a 
water-cask,  which  he  occasionally  seized  with 
a  finger  and  thumb,  and  waved  over  his  head 
as  if  it  had  been  a  quart  pot.  Such  was  the 
trio  who  now  occupied  the  wustuddur  of  Jo- 
anna Correa;  and  I  had  scarcely  time  to  re- 
mark what  I  have  just  recorded,  when  that 
good  lady  entered  from  a  back  court  with  her 
handmaid  Johar,  or  the  pearl,  an  ugly  fat 
Jewish  girl,  with  an  immense  mole  on  her 
cheek. 

"  Que  Dios  remate  tu  nombre,"  exclaimed 
the  Mulatto ;  "  may  Allah  blot  out  your  name, 
Joanna,  and  may  he  likewise  blot  out  that  of 
your  maid  Johar.  It  is  more  than  fifteen 
minutes  that  I  have  been  seated  here,  after 
having  poured  out  into  the  tinaja  the  water 
•which  I  brought  from  the  fountain,  and  du- 
ring all  that  time  I  have  waited  in  vain  for 
one  sitgle  word  of  civility  from  yourself  or 
from  Johar.  Usted  no  tiene  modo,  you  have 
no  manner  with  you,  nor  more  has  Johar. — 
This  is  the  only  house  in  Tangier  where  I  am 
not  received  with  fitting  love  and  respect,  and 
yet  I  have  done  more  for  you  than  for  any 
other  person.  Have  I  not  filled  your  tinaja 
with  water  when  other  people  have  gone  with- 
out a  drop]  When  even  the  consul  and  the 
interpreter  of  the  consul  had  no  water  to  slake 
their  thirst,  have  you  not  had  enough  to  wash 
your  wustuddur]  And  what  is  my  return? 
When  I  arrive  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  I  have 
not  one  kind  word  spoken  to  me,  nor  so  much 
as  a  glass  of  makhiah  oflfered  to  me ;  must  I 
tell  you  all  that  I  do  for  you,  Joanna?  Truly 
I  must,  for  you  have  no  manner  with  you. — 
Do  I  not  come  every  morning  just  at  the  third 
hour;  and  do  I  not  knock  at  your  door;  and 
do  you  not  arise  and  let  me  in,  and  then  do  I 
not  knead  your  bread  in  your  presence,  whilst 
you  lie  in  bed,  and  because  I  knead  it,  is  not 
yours  the  best  bread  in  Tangier  1     For  am  I 


not  the  strongest  man  in  Tangier,  and  the  most 
noble  also?  "  Here  he  brandished  his  barrel 
over  his  head  and  his  face  looked  almost  de- 
moniacal. "  Hear  me,  Joanna,"  he  con- 
tinued, "you  know  that  I  am  the  strongest 
man  in  Tangier,  and  I  tell  you  again,  for  the 
thousandth  time,  that  I  am  the  most  noble.— 
Who  are  the  consuls]  Who  is  the  pasha? 
They  are  pashas  and  consuls  now,  but  who 
were  their  fathers?  I  know  not  nor  do  they. 
But  do  I  not  know  who  my  fathers  were]— 
Were  they  not  Moors  of  Garnata  {^Granada), 
and  is  it  not  on  that  account  that  I  am  the 
strongest  man  in  Tangier?  Yes,  I  am  of  the 
old  Moors  of  Garnata,  and  my  family  has 
lived  here,  as  is  well  known,  since  Garnata 
was  lost  to  the  Nazarenes,  and  now  I  am  the 
only  one  of  my  family  of  the  blood  of  the  old 
Moors  in  all  this  land,  and  on  that  account  I 
am  of  nobler  blood  than  the  sultan,  for  the 
sultan  is  not  of  the  blood  of  the  Moors  of  Gar- 
nata. Do  you  laugh,  Joanna]  Does  your 
maid  Johar  laugh]  Am  I  not  Hammin  Wid- 
der,  el  homhre  mas  valido  de  Tangcr  ?  And 
is  it  not  true  that  I  am  of  the  blood  of  the 
Moors  of  Garnata]  Deny  it,  and  I  will  kill 
you  both,  you  and  your  maid  Johar." 

"  You  have  been  eating  hsheesh  and  ma- 
joon,  Hammin,"  said  Joanna  Correa,  "and 
the  Shaitan  has  entered  into  you,  as  he  but  too 
frequently  does.  I  have  been  busy,  and  so  has 
Johar,  or  we  should  have  spoken  to  you  be- 
fore; however,  mai  doorshee  [it  does  not  sig- 
nify), I  know  how  to  pacify  you  now  and  at 
all  times;  will  you  take  some  gin-bitters,  or  a 
glass  of  common  makhiah  ]" 

"  May  you  burst,  O  Joanna,"  said  the  Mu- 
latto, "and  may  Johar  also  burst;  I  mean, 
may  you  both  live  many  years,  and  know 
neither  pain  nor  sorrow.  I  will  take  the  gin- 
bitters,  O  Joanna,  because  they  are  stronger 
than  the  makhiah,  which  always  appears  to 
me  like  water;  and  I  like  not  water  though  I 
carry  it.  Many  thanks  to  you,  Joanna ;  here 
is  health  to  you,  Joanna,  and  to  this  good 
company." 

She  had  handed  bim  a  large  tnmbler  filled 
to  the  brim  ;  he  put  it  to  his  nostrils,  snuflTed 
in  the  flavour,  and  then  applying  it  to  his 
mouth,  removed  it  not  whilst  one  drop  of  the 
fluid  remained.  His  features  graduaUy  re- 
laxed from  their  former  angry  expression,  and 
looking  particularly  amiable  at  Joanna,  he  at 
last  said : 

"  I  hope  that  within  a  little  time,  O  Joanna, 
you  will  be  persuaded  that  I  am  the  strongest 
man  in  Tangier,  and  that  I  am  sprung  from 
the  blood  of  the  Moors  of  Garnata,  as  then 
you  will  no  longer  refuse  to  take  me  for  a 
husband,  you  and  your  maid  Johar,  and  to  be- 
come Moors.  What  a  glory  to  you,  after 
having  been  married  to  a  Genoui,  and  given 
birth  to  Genouillos,  to  receive  for  husband  a 
Moor  like  me,  and  to  bear  him  children  of  the 
blood  of  Garnata.  What  a  glory  too  for  Johir, 
how  much  better  than  to  marry  a  vile  Jew, 
even  like  Hayim  Ben  Atar,  or  your  cook 
Sabia,  both  of  whom  I  could  strangle  with 
two  fingers,  for  am  I  not  Hammin  Widder 
Moro  de  Garnata,  el  homhre  mas  valido  de 


THE    BIBLE    IN    SPAIN. 


231 


Tfafifcr?"  He  then  shouldered  his  barrel 
and  departed. 

"  Is  that  Mulatto  really  what  he  pretends 
to  beV  said  I  to  Joanna;  "is  he  a  descend- 
ant of  the  Moors  of  Granada  l" 

"  He  always  talks  about  the  Moors  of  Gra- 
nada when  he  is  mad  with  majoon  or  aguar- 
diente," interrupted,  in  bad  French,  the  old 
man  whom  I  have  before  described,  and  in 
the  same  croaking  voice  which  I  had  heard 
chantins;  in  the  morning.  "  Nevertheless  it 
may  be' true,  and  if  he  had  not  heard  some- 
thing of  the  kind  from  his  parents,  he  would 
never  have  imagined  such  a  thing,  for  he  is 
too  stupid.  As  1  said  before,  it  is  by  no 
means  impossible:  many  of  the  families  of 
Granada  settled  down  here  when  their  town 
was  taken  by  the  Christians,  but  the  greater 

{>art  went  to  Tunis.  When  I  was  there,  I 
odged  in  the  house  of  a  Moor  who  called 
himself  Zegri,  and  was  always  talking  of 
Granada  and  the  things  which  his  forefathers 
had  done  there.  He  would  moreover  sit  for 
hours  singing  romances  of  which  I  understood 
not  one  word,  praised  be  the  Mother  of  God, 
but  which  he  said  all  related  to  his  family ; 
there  were  hundreds  of  that  name  in  Tunis, 
therefore  why  should  not  this  Hammin,  this 
drunken  water-carrier,  be  a  IMoor  of  Granada 
also.  He  is  ugly  enough  to  be  emperor  of  all 
the  Moors.  O  the  accursed  canaille,  I  have 
lived  amongst  them  for  my  sins  these  eight 
years,  at  Oran  and  here.  Monsieur,  do  you 
not  consider  it  to  be  a  hard  case  for  an  old 
man  like  myself,  who  am  a  Christian,  to 
live  amongst  a  race  who  know  not  God,  nor 
Christ,  nor  any  thing  holy?" 

"  What  do  you  mean,"  said  I,  "by  assert- 
ing that  the  Moors  know  not  God  1  There  is 
no  people  in  the  world  who  entertain  sublimer 
notions  of  the  uncreated  eternal  God  than  the 
Moors,  and  no  people  have  ever  shown  them- 
selves more  zealous  for  his  honour  and  glory  : 
their  very  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  has  been 
and  is  the  chief  obstacle  to  their  becoming 
Christians.  They  are  afraid  of  compromis- 
ing his  dignity  by  supposing  that  he  ever 
condescended  to  become  man.  And  with  re- 
spect to  Christ,  their  ideas  even  of  him  are 
much  more  just  than  those  of  the  Papists, 
they  say  he  is  a  mighty  prophet,  whilst,  ac- 
cording to  the  others,  he  is  either  a  piece  of 
bread  or  a  helpless  infant.  In  many  points 
of  religion  the  Moors  are  wrong,  dreadfully 
wrong,  but  are  the  Papists  less  sol  And  one 
of  their  practices  sets  them  immeasurably  be- 
low the  Moors  in  the  eyes  of  any  unprejudiced 
person:  they  bow  down  to  idols,  Christian 
idols  if  you  like,  but  idols  still,  things  graven 
of  wood  and  stone  and  brass,  and  from  these 
things  which  can  neither  hear,  nor  speak,  nor 
feel,  they  ask  and  expect  to  obtain  favours." 

"  Vive  la  France,  Vive  la  Guadeloupe,"  said 
the  black,  with  a  good  French  accent.  "  In 
France  and  in  Guadaloupe  there  is  no  super- 
stition, and  they  pay  as  much  regard  to  the 
Bible  as  to  the  Koran ;  1  am  now  learning  to 
read  in  order  that  I  may  understand  the  wri- 
tings of  Voltaire,  who,  as  I  arn  told,  hSs  proved 
that  both  the  one  and  the  other  Were  Written 


with  the  sole  intention  of  deceiving  mankind, 

0  vive  la  France !  where  will  you  find  such 
an  enlightened  country  as  France :  and  where 
will  you  find  such  a  plentiful  country  as 
France?  Only  one  in  the  world,  and  that  is 
Guadaloupe.  Is  it  not  so.  Monsieur  Pascual  t 
W'ere  you  ever  at  Marseilles'!  Jlh  qud  him 
pais  est  celui-ld  pour  les  vivres,  pour  les  petiis 
pouleis,  poxir  les  poulardcs,  pour  les  pcrdrix, 
pour  les  perdreaux,  pour  les  aloueites,  pour  les 
becasses,  pour  les  hccassines,  enfin,  pour  iouty 

"  Pray  sir,  are  you  a  cook  V  demanded  I. 

"  Monsieur,  je  Ic  suis  pour  vous  rendre  ser- 
vice, mon  nom  c''est  Gerard,  ei  fat  Phonneur 
d'etre  chef  de  cuisine  chez  monsieur  le  consul 
Hollandois.  A  present  je  prie  permission  de 
vous  saluer  ,■  il  faut  que  faille  a  la  maison 
pour  faire  le  diner  de  mon  niaitre" 

At  four  I  went  to  dine  with  the  British  con- 
sul. Two  other  English  gentlemen  were 
present,  who  had  arrived  at  Tangier  from 
Gibraltar  about  ten  days  previously,  for  a 
short  excursion,  and  were  now  detained  lon- 
ger than  they  wished  by  the  Levant  wind. 
They  had  already  visited  the  principal  towns 
in  Spain,  and  proposed  spending  the  winter 
either  at  Cadiz  or  Seville.  One  of  them,  Mr. 
*  *  *  *,  struck  me  as  being  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  I  had  ever  conversed  with ; 
he  travelled  not  for  diversion  nor  instigated 
by  curiosity,  but  merely  with  the  hope  of  do- 
ing spiritual  good,  chiefly  by  conversation. 
The  consul  soon  asked  me  what  I  thought  of 
the  Moors  and  their  country ;  I  told  him  that 
what  I  had  hitherto  seen  of  both  highly 
pleased  me.  He  said  that  were  I  to  live 
amongst  them  for  ten  years,  as  he  had  done, 
he  believed  I  should  entertain  a  very  different 
opinion;  that  no  people  in  the  world  were 
more  false  and  cruel ;  that  their  government 
was  one  of  the  vilest  description,  with  which 
it  was  next  to  an  impossibility  for  any  foreign 
power  to  hold  amicable  relations,  as  it 
invariably  acted  with  bad  faith,  and  set  at 
nought  the  most  solemn  treaties.  That  Bri- 
tish property  and  interests  were  every  day 
subjected  to  ruin  and  spoliation,  and  British 
subjects  exposed  to  unheard-of  vexations, 
without  the  slighest  hope  of  redress  being  af- 
forded, save  recourse  was  had  to  force,  the 
only  argument  to  which  the  Moors  were  ac- 
cessible. He  added,  that  towards  the  end  of 
the  preceding  year  an  atrocious  murder  had 
been  perpetrated  in  Tangier,  a  Genoese  fami- 
ly of  three  individuals  had  perished,  all  of 
whom  were  British  subjects,  and  entitled  to 
the  protection  of  the  British  flag.  The  mur- 
derers were  known,  and  the  principal  one  was 
even  now  in  prison  for  the  fact,  yet  all  attempts 
to  bring  him  to  condign  punishment  had  hith- 
erto proved  abortive,  as  he  was  a  Moor,  and 
his  victims  Christians.  Finally,  he  cautioned 
me  not  to  take  walks  beyond  the  wall  unac- 
companied by  a  soldier,  whom  he  offered  to 
provide  for  me  should  I  desire  it,  as  otherwise 

1  incurred  great  risk  of  being  ill  treated  by  the 
Moors  of  the  interior  whom  I  might  meet,  or 
perhaps  murdered,  and  he  instanced  the  case 
of  a  I3ritish  officer  who  not  long  since  had 
been  murdered  on  the  beach  for  no  other  rea* 


232 


THE    BIBLE    IN   SPAIN. 


son  tlian  being  a  Nazarene,  and  appearing  in 
a  Nazarene  dress.  He  at  length  introduced 
the  subject  of  the  Gospel,  and  I  was  pleased 
to  learn  that,  during  his  residence  in  Tangier, 
he  had  distributed  a  considerable  quantity  of 
Bibles  amongst  the  natives  in  the  Arabic  lan- 
guage, and  that  many  of  the  learned  men,  or 
Talibs,  had  read  the  holy  volume  with  great 
interest,  and  that  by  this  distribution,  which, 
it  is  true,  was  effected  with  much  caution,  no 
angry  or  unpleasant  feeling  had  been  excited. 
He  finally  asked  whether  I  had  come  with  the 
intention  of  circulating  the  Scripture  amongst 
the  Moors. 

I  replied  that  T  had  no  opportunity  of  doing 
so,  as  I  had  not  one  single  copy  either  in  the 
Arabic  language  or  character.  That  the  few 
Testaments  which  were  in  my  possession 
"were  in  the  Spanish  language  and  were  in- 
tended for  circulation  amongst  the  Christians 
of  Tangier,  to  whom  they  might  be  servicea- 
ble, as  they  all  understood  the  language. 

It  was  night,  and  I  was  seated  in  the  wus- 
tuddur  of  Joanna  Correa,  in  company  with 
Pascual  Fava  the  Genoese.  The  old  man's 
favourite  subject  of  discourse  appeared  to  be 
religion,  and  he  professed  unbounded  love  for 
the  Saviour,  and  the  deepest  sense  of  grati- 
tude for  his  miraculous  atonement  for  the  sins 
of  manlcind.  I  should  have  listened  to  him 
with  pleasure  had  he  not  smelt  very  strongly 
of  liquor,  and  by  certain  incoherences  of  lan- 
guage and  wildness  of  manner  given  indica- 
tions of  being  in  some  degree  the  worse  for  it. 
Suddenly  two  figures  appeared  beneath  the 
doorway ;  one  was  that  of  a  bare-headed  and 
bare-legged  Moorish  boy  of  about  ten  years  of 
age,  dressed  in  a  gelaba;  he  guided  by  the 
hand  an  old  man,  whom  I  at  once  recognised 
as  one  of  the  Algerines,  the  good  Moslems  of 
whom  the  old  Mahasni  had  spoken  in  terms 
of  praise  in  the  morning  whilst  we  ascended 
the  street  of  the  Siarrin.  He  was  very  short 
of  stature  and  dirty  in  his  dress ;  the  lower 
part  of  his  face  was  covered  with  a  stubbly 
white  beard  ;  before  his  eyes  he  wore  a  large 
pair  of  spectacles,  from  which  he  evidently 
received  but  little  benefit,  as  he  required  the 
assistance  of  the  guide  at  every  step.  The 
two  advanced  a  little  way  into  the  wustuddur 
and  there  stopped.  Pascual  Fava  no  sooner 
beheld  them,  than  assuming  a  jovial  air  he 
started  nimbly  up,  and  leaning  on  his  stick, 
for  he  had  a  bent  leg,  limped  to  a  cupboard, 
out  of  which  he  took  a  bottle  and  poured  out 
a  glass  of  wine,  singing  in  the  broken  kind  of 
Spanish  used  by  the  Moors  of  the  coast : 

"  Argelino, 
Moro  fine, 
No  beber  vino, 
Hi  comer  tocino." 

(Aigerine, 
Moor  80  keen. 
No  drink  wine. 
No  taste  swine.} 


He  then  handed  the  wine  to  the  old  Moor 
who  drank  it  oflT,  and  then,  led  by  the  boy, 
made  for  the  door  without  saying  a  word. 

^^ Hade  mushe  halal"  (that  is  not  lawful,) 
said  I  to  him  with  a  loud  voice. 

"  Cul  shee  halal,^^  (every  thing  is  lawful,) 
said  the  old  Moor,  turning  his  sightless  and 
spectacled  eyes  in  the  direction  from  which 
my  voice  reached  him.  "Of  every  thing 
which  God  has  given,  it  is  lawful  for  the  child- 
ren of  God  to  partake." 

"  Who  is  that  old  man'? "  said  I  to  Pascual 
Fava,  after  the  blind  and  the  leader  of  ihe 
blind  had  departed.  "Who  is  he !  "  said  Pas- 
cual;"  who  is  he!  He  is  a  merchant  now, 
and  keeps  a  shop  in  the  Siarrin,  but  there  was 
a  time  when  no  bloodier  pirate  sailed  out  of 
Algier.  That  old  blind  wretch  has  cut  more 
throats  than  he  has  hairs  in  his  beard.  Be- 
fore the  French  took  the  ])lace  he  was  the  rais 
or  captain  of  a  frigate,  and  many  was  the  poor 
Sardinian  vessel  which  fell  into  his  hands. — 
After  that  affair  he  fled  to  Tangier,  and  it  is 
said  that  he  brought  with  him  a  great  part  of 
the  booty  which  he  had  amassed  in  former 
times.  Many  other  Algerines  came  hither 
also,  or  to  Tetuan,  but  he  is  the  strangest 
guest  of  them  all.  He  keeps  occasionally 
very  extraordinary  company  for  a  Moor,  and 
is  rather  over  intimate  with  the  Jews.  Well, 
that's  no  business  of  mine;  only  let  him  look 
to  himself.  If  the  Moors  should  once  suspect 
him,  it  were  all  over  with  him.  Moors  and 
Jews,  Jews  and  Moors !  Oh  my  poor  sins, 
my  poor  sins,  that  brought  me  to  live  amongst 
them  ! — 

'  Ave  Maris  Stella, 
Dei  Mater  alma, 
Atque  semper  virgo, 
Felix  coeh  porta!'  " 

He  was  proceeding  in  this  manner  when  I 
was  startled  by  the  sound  of  a  musket. 

"  That  is  the  retreat,"  said  Pascual  Fava? 
"It  is  fired  every  night  in  the  soc  at  half-past 
eight,  and  it  is  the  signal  for  suspending  all 
business,  and  shutting  up.  I  am  now  going 
to  close  the  doors,  and  whosoever  knocks,  I  . 
shall  not  admit  them  till  1  know  their  voice. 
Since  the  murder  of  the  poor  Genoese  last 
year,  we  have  all  been  particularly  cau- 
tious. 

Thus  had  passed  Friday,  the  sacred  day  of 
the  Moslems,  and  the  first  which  I  had  spent 
in  Tangier.  I  observed  that  the  Moors  fol- 
lowed their  occupations  as  if  the  day  had 
nothing  particular  in  it.  Between  twelve  and 
one,  the  hour  of  prayer  in  the  mosque,  the 
gates  of  the  town  were  closed,  and  no  one 
permitted  either  to  enter  or  go  out.  There  is 
a  tradition  current  amongst  them,  that  on  this 
day,  and  at  this  hour,  their  eternal  enemies, 
the  Nazarenes,  will  arrive  to  take  possession 
of  their  country;  on  which  account  they  hold 
themselves  prepared  against  a  surprisal. 


THE  END. 


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